Daughters of the Immortals
by XKey of the AbyssX
Summary: Three immortal girls join the Order to find peace in their lives.All that follows them however is bad fortune when their enemies threaten destroy everything they hold dear.Will they choose an immortal lie or a blissful end?AllenXOCXLavi KandaXOC Sum in -Discontinued-
1. Chapter 1

_**First D. Gray Man fanfic! Ever! Sorry that I'm not finishing many of my stories but it'll be just a set back. I have major writter's block for many. And possibly writing on something else might lessened the weight of school and everything. Well here's a short sum:  
><strong>_**Immortal girl's join the Black Order at suggestion of Kamui. Their powers and resources and extremely useful to the Order however they oppose their overall objecting: renewing the earth to its formal glory. Living for so long made them realize that the world has a greater beauty than just this war and bloodshed. However when a new Noah threatens not only their existence but that of Allen and all the Exorcists, they must make the greatest decision of their lives. Give up their immortality or watch as the ones they love die in their hands. **

* * *

><p><em><em>"Where...am I?" her voice was barely audible to herself as she awoke seven days later. All her senses were dull, only her hearing was but

"You've finally awoken," a man's voice, heavy with an accent, called as cigarette smoke filled the air that entered her lungs.

I hate the smell of cigarettes, were her thoughts as her eyes slowly became accustomed to her surroundings. Her mind now could idetify the area around her. "I'm back...at the catacumbs." What happened this time?

"You pushed yourself too much again," he called putting the cigarette off on an ash tray by the cabinet beside her bed. "Your body thrashed itself again."

"'Black Pheonix' did it again, huh?" a childish voice called from the doorstep of the obscured room.

Turning her head to face the intruder, she noticed the same woman she remembered dully in her old mind, "Cardigan."

Cardigan, a woman of twenty of age, walked over to the bedridden child. Her pinkish hair brought light over the obscured room barely lit by gaslights. Her obscure sapphire eyes pierced through her thin, weak mind. "You don't remember what happened?"

"Just that..." she hesitated. "There was that light again like all those other times. And then I woke up here."

"I see," she responded sighing and leaning back, stretching. Then she got her wallet out. "I thought for sure this time you wouldn't survive. Damn girl, do you not die?" Her question was rhetorical as she got a good sum of money out of it handing it over to the smoking man. "You're damn lucky."

"Not lucky," he answered taking the sum and placing it on the cabinet. "I know how their body is constructed and how it regenerates. I have only studied their kind for as long as I've been alive."

"And for as long as you've been alive they've never been able to die that easily, blah, blah," Cardigan said mimicking his sturdy accent. "By the way the other two have been practicing their abilities. Mind telling them that a week is too much to hope for?"

"Don't look at me," the man called as he faced the bedridden girl in observation. "I lost control of them. Teenagers these days and all. I'm their 'father' and they refuse to listen to reason. If I remember right, the youngest child has suffered 136 ressurections, the middle child 109, and you-" he looked at her with his hazel eyes, a tinge of gold in them as they pierced her own crimson ones. "-You are the one with a total of 207 ressurections. I wonder still how many more you still have to go."

A knock on the door was heard by both as Cardigan went to open the door the slightest to let in as little light as possible, "What are you two doing here?"

"We wanted to know if she's alright," a gentle and sweet voice called in concerned.

"How's she? Is she awake?" another playful yet charismatic voice called together with the other.

"It's none ya!" Cardigan shouted pissed as she pushed them away as she exited the room as well. Then the room fell silent again. The window in the room was fogged up by the coldness of the winter outside.

The man lighted yet another cigarette even though knowing it was going to disgust her. Finally she broke the silence that pierced even the cold air they breathed, "207 isn't such a bad number, you know?"

"It looks like you three are trying to beat each other to see who lives by dying the most," he said with a tinge of hate on the way they were living their lives. "It's spiteful how you throw your lives away so easily."

"As long-" she cringed as she struggled to sit up against her bedpost. "-As you don't find any way of terminating us for certain then I have no problem with dying then regaining consciousness a week later."

"You body suffers the scars of your numberable deaths," he explained yet again to her. "You of your two sisters have the most scars. Comparable those wounds heal yet leave a mark on your body no matter how many times you revive."

"Scars. No scars. What's the difference," she answered looking down. "What's going to happened now?"

"I know you tried to escape being transfered to the new headquarters by killing yourself the 207th time," he said releasing the smoke from his lungs. "Needless to say it was as useless as getting rid of cockrouches. No matter what they keep coming back."

"I'm a cockrouch now?" she asked sitting on the edge of the bed as her sense of smell returned to her. The first inhale through her mouth caught the taste of smoke in her lungs. She exhaled without coughing as she snatched the cigarette away from his hand and put it off on the ash tray. She stood up vaguely notcing the stitches on her side that caused minimun pain compared to the headache she had at the moment. "I didn't and don't want to leave this place."

"The catacumbs have been all of your guys' home for the many years you've lived," he said standing up and grabbing the liquor from a glass cabinet and two crystal glasses. "I know it's hard for you to leave your home. But the headquarters will be your new home. You and your sisters will live there and surely you'll meet new people that will be your friends." He placed the cups on the coffee table and poured in liqour.

"You're giving me a drink?" she asked skeptical for a second. "Ain't I a minor?" She opened her closet wide open as she found the uniform she had gotten a week prior to the incident. It was black trimmed with red, a perfect match to her eyes and to her raven hair.

"Please," he chuckled taking her comment as a joke. "We both know that you could be my great grandma with your true age. You and your sisters have been the same age for over a hundred years. Although you were kids sometime and you still are to me, I can't deny that I want to have one last drink with my oldest daughter." He grabbed a glass and handing over the glass. She smiled and took the glass as she drank it up. She licked the liquid that lingered on her lips.

"If I leave," she said giving the glass on the table again as she changed in front of him with no shame whatsoever into her uniform. "Will I be able to comeback to the catacumbs?"

"I doubt it," he said truthfully looking away from the girl. Even though she was older than him and Cardigan combined, she still lived in the immortal body of a sixteen-year-old girl. "The Black Order confines the Exorcists they house. You and your sisters are compatible to Innocences so you'll most likely stay there."

"Do **they **know this?" she asked in concerned of her sisters.

He sighed, "You're the oldest and take these news more maturely. Telling them would be like taking the candy away of a kid."

"A simple no would've suffice," she answered putting her coat on. She turned to look at herself in the full-size mirror. With the simple lighting of the gaslights it was simple for her unadjusted eyes to see herself. A longsleeve blouse covered her undergarments, on top of it was a black, red trimmed vest and a red tie.. She wore shorts of a black color and white stockings along with black with gold boots that went to her knees. Over the vest was a longsleeve coat that went past her shins which had the hood and sleeves trimmed with white fur. Her hair was already combed and fixed from her bed hair. The raven black colored shinned in the gaslight with a fevor like before. Her crimson eyes became brilliant in the thin light as she turned to look at him again. "When do we move?"

"Tonight."

**~X~**

"Ah, Nee-chan!" the playful and charismatic girl called as the two stood in the gate that would take them to the new headquarters. She was a bit taller than the raven-haired girl, about 5'5" and had short long hair wth a long plait that traveled in front of her and ended with a red ribbon tangled with a jingle bell. She wore a black, red-trimmed pants and a shirt that didn't cover her abdomen. The shirt itself was black trimmed with red, it was a bra shirt with sleeves that espanded on the shoulders. She had blood red stiletto boots and a pair of leather, black gloves.

"One-sama, does this mean you're going with us?" the gentle and sweet girl called baffled. She had long chocolate brown hair that was up into a side ponytail with a red ribbon. She wore a red skirt with a more decent shirt than their middle sister. It was more of a sleeveless bloude and on top a simple jacket trimmed with red.

"I guess so," she answered in reassurance of her well being. The gate then opened signaling its opening.

"Take Kammy with you," Cardigan said as the chorale colored golem with cherub wings. "If anything goes up in there you'll be able to contact us with her."

"See you around, girls," the man called as he and Cardigan waved goodbye at them.

"Got it~" the middle said jumping in childishly.

"See you later," the youngest called stepping in.

"Take care, kiddo," the oldest said smiling as she left through the portal.

The man stopped as he saw the gate close behind his girls. "Three little immortals, huh? Wonder how they'll get along with their comrades at headquarters."

"Who knows," Cardigan said turning around to face opposite. "Kamui did call you for them since that attack at headquarters."

"I'm sure not only my girls but the Third Exorcists as well, I would presume," he said. "I am, however, a bit concerned."

"About what?" Cardigan asked shocked.

"How they will react to fighting with Akuma, the Noahs, and even perhaps to the Earl himself," he broke out another smoke as he finished his sentence. "I only let them go out because the hypothesis I have is that their exposure may tell us their limit of lives."

"Do you really care for them? Or are they just tools to you like the Order likes to think of them?" Cardigan asked.

"I care for them," he said. "But I am also afraid of what they are capable of doing." He blew smoke out one last time before walking away and returning to his duties.

"Of course you're afraid, dumbass," Cardigan muttered sighing. "After all, since you were just a kid, those three took care of you as you're taking care of them now. Like mothers like son and like father like daughters. Ain't it right, Roman?"

* * *

><p>"How much longer?" Tyki asked Sheril as they both waited one of the Earl's room.<p>

"She'll be here soon," Sheril added. And as if in command one of Road's doors materialized as it opened and in came Road with a bundle in her arms. "He~llo dearest~!" Sheril called with his daughter switch flicking on but when he tried appraoching her, Road grimace at him and he stood aside. "Why are you being so mean to daddy~!"

"What's that you have there, Road?" Tyki asked. Then a whaling let out from all the comotion.

"A baby?" Sheril said confused.

"Shh~shh~shh," Road said sweetly as she craddled the crying child in her arms. "It's alright. It's alright."

"Why do you have a baby with you?" Tyki asked standing with her looking down on her and the baby.

"The Earl told me to pick her up," she said sweetly talking to the child.

"You brought her," the Earl appeared from the doorstep with the other Noahs. He appraoched Road with his sight on the baby. "The essence."

"Why have Road pick up a baby?" Tyki said confused.

"She's the essence of the heart of a ve~ry special person," the Earl answered Tyki's question. "And will be of a very good use in the future."

The whaling stopped as the child gazed at them lot and then it was heard through out the space, _"What do I get in return?"_

"It talked?" Tiky said shock.

"It thought," Road corrected.

"What do you mean by what do you get?" Sheril asked.

_"What would be my reward if I helped you?" _the baby asked again.

"Revenge," the Earl said to her. "Against the man who seperated you from your body and soul."

_"Neah's...alive?" _the baby asked in hesitation.

"That he is," Road answered. "Do you want him dead?"

_"I just...want him to pay for what he did to me. To me and to my old self." _The mass of the baby started shinning as it floated away of Road's arms and materialized into a small grown girl of eight years. She had white hair the color of snow short up to her chin and with a long ponytail that had a pink ribbon on the curled end. A white dress with a color of chorale died on the hems. She was barefooted as she turned toward them. The eyes of the child were the same pinkish color and they surged on and off with a neon gleam every second or so; as if they reacted everytime with the hearbeat of that person.

"They grow so fast," Road said monotonely as she went to sit down. "So what's your first move, um... Should I name you?"

"No need," the voice was childish byt mature. "I have my own name."

"Which is?" Tiky asked.

"Edelle," she called as for a moment her eyes turned to a crimson red for the instant before going back to that neon pink.


	2. Chapter 2

"So I pressume that you three have agreed to go by the Order's commands," Kamui said as he had the three girl's in his office the same day they had gone early to prepare the place for the rest of the Order.

"We have," the oldest agreed with a bitter taste in her mouth. "We'll be responding to you right, Kamui Lee."

"Yes," he answered. "I spoke with Roman and he seems to agree that it is better to group you with other Exorcists instead of which each other."

"With human?" the middle called. "Dad allowed us? He never, ever let us play with humans before."

"This is an exception," the youngest said. "After all, we'll all be working together to defeat those Akuma right?"

"Yes, about that I need a description of each of your Innocence," he said as he sat back to enjoy.

"Girls," the oldest said, "Give 'im a glimspe alright?"

"Yes~" they chanted as the middle and oldest stepped back leaving the youngest in the spot light.

"My name's Kotori and I'm age eighteen," she lowered her hand to let her Sage Staff form on it. Surrounding her was the air of nature itself. "And my Innocence, Mother Gaia, as her name implies has control over all earthly ground." The middle daughter steped up as she fisted her hands and palced them at her sides. "My names Cherry and I'm seventeen!" She punched her fists together as a shock of electricity sounded and crackled as she rubbed them together. "My Innocence, Odin, gives me control over thunder, lighting, and electricity. Then the oldest stood in the middle, "My Innocence, Mother and Son, give me power over magic weaponry." From nowhere she materialized a colt that she held in her right hand, "I'm seventeen and the name's Evangelique. Call me Eve."

"I see," Kamui said as he concluded their powers and wrote down their names. "And are you all going under Roman's name."

"Yeah," Eve said. "We're going under the name Rasmusen. What about our little 'secret'?"

"Yes Roman told me about it and about the cases that have happened around your kind. It'll be better for you to remain quiet about for awhile. Perhaps until you get better aqquantainted to everyone around." They all agreed. "Then that'll be it," he said smilling. "For the time being just rest until you get a mission alright?"

"Yes~!" they all chanted then suddenly the doors opened as they stepped back and Lenalee stepped in.

"Brother, want some coffee?" she asked riding a coffee tray.

"Please~" Kamui called happily. As she served him Lenalee saw the three sisters standing there, Cherry and Kotori smiling and Eve looking somewhere else.

"Hello," Lenalee greeted them. "You must be the Rasmussen sisters that my brother told me about. I'm Lenalee Lee."

"I'm Kotori"-"Cherry!" both sisters turned to Angela as she came in late. "Oh, sorry. Eve Rasmusen. By the way, I'm kinda hungry. Are they serving food here?"

Lenalee took them to the dinning hall and to Jerry. Kotori ordered Italian. Cherry some spaghetti. And Eve most of everything that was on the menu.

"She has quiet the strong stomach, doesn't she," Lenalee commented as she sat beside Kotori and across the two other sisters that rampaged against their food, Kotori the only sane and calm one.

"Of course she'd be hungry. It's been seven days since she's eaten anything after all," Kotori slipped.

"Seven days?" Lenalee asked confused.

"U-Um, she meditates a lot, yeah!" Kotori said thinking fast. "She fasts and all that too that's what I meant."

"Oh," Lenalee said smiling. "I get it. I meditate sometimes too with a friend of mine."

"Really..." Kotori said dragging the conversationg away from Eve successfully.

"Done!" Eve yawned as she stretched and stood up.

"Where you going?" she called with a mouth full.

"To sleep. I'm tired," she answered tapping her mouth close making her gulp her food down.

"Sleep!" Cherry said coughing a bit. "You've been asleep for sev-AW!" Cherry continued but was cut off by Kotori 'accidentally' tipping her glass of water over her skirt.

"_Oops~_, sorry nee-san," Kotori said emphasizing the accident part.

"Lee-san, mind taking me to where my room is?" Eve asked recklessly as the two sisters argued a bit.

"S-Sure," Lenalee said noticing the awkwardness of the sisters and leaving with Eve.

As they walked everything was an odd silence. Lenalee took the bat and began a conversation, "So all three of you are sisters. Who goes where, if I can ask?"

"The youngest is Kotori, then Cherry's in the middle, and I'm the oldest of the three," Eve said summing up everything.

"You're the oldest," Lenalee asked confused. "Isn't Kotori-san older than you."

"In appearance wise maybe," Eve murmured.

"Huh?"

"So who else is here in this place? Other Exorcists besides you and us three I pressume," she asked changing the subject.

"Ah yes, there's Allen Walker and Yu Kanda who're currently out in a mission since three days ago. Then there are Lavi and his teacher Bookman. There's also Noise Marie and Choazii Han. Also Timothy Hearst and Miranda Lotto and Arystar Krory III. I think I haven't missed anybody," Lenalee took the whole way to the room to explain. "Oh, we're here."

"Thanks and thanks for taking care of my sisters and I," Eve said whole heartedly as she grabbed the doorknob.

"Of course, we're a family now," Lenalee said in a matter of a fact tone. "We'll always be there for each other rig-" But Eve had rudely gone inside shutting Lenalee halfway. "E-Eve-san..." she murmured sullen a bit.

Inside, Eve heard Lenalee's footsteps leave the hallway, "I don't believe in 'infinite' things. None of you will ever stay for long with us. So that's not always Lenalee Lee."

**~X~  
><strong>  
>By the time the grandfather clocks around the Order ran one in the morning, Eve slowly and silently creaked open as she sneaked out making sure nobody was watching her. Kotori not considering what 'normal' was, had packed only the usual thin, summer nightgown that Eve always wore- in the winter. Things like the weather bothered the immortal sister little. That was the reason why Eve only wore a pair of silk short and silk tank top of a pinkish color. Not her color but it was for sleeping, who would know, right? She went on barefooted walking around the Order in their new enviorement.<p>

"Kammy, what you think? Anything in this place?" she whispered as she walked around lightly and not making a sound. Kameron came from the pocket and landed on her head as she shook no. "I see. Are you sure?" Kammy flew before Eve's face and boiled mad. "Sorry." She walked some more until she found a good place to seat and enjoy the fresh air.

Finally she found a broad balcony in the third floor that was just right. She went and jumped over the railing as she sat down on it as she felt the cold, winter breeze brush her bare arms and legs. She liked nature, it felt like being in the olds days when there weren't that many people and when nature ruled its course upon human beings. Human. Something she never was and never will be. Not after what had occurred to her when she was just a child, a true child. "Say Kameron," the golem's cherub wings perked up. "You said that Father was the one who created you. Then even back then things like Akuma existed?" Kameron perked twice saying yes. "I wonder how they're doing. I should go visit him and Mother once in awhile shouldn't I?" Kameron shook no. "You still hate Father for what he did?" Kammy flew in front of Eve as its wings sullen in her expression. Eve chuckled like she had once again turned back to that girl from the past before everything happened. Being in the outside free and not encarcerated inside the catacumbs made her feel overjoyed. Almost as if she were _truly _free. She scoffed at that stupid thought. Of course she would never be truly free. Neither her nor her 'sisters' would be free from the curse of living forever. She scoffed again but this time of pity. "Kameron, why do humans want immortality so much? It's a curse. Why would they want to live forever if that meant..." she sullen gravely at the simply thought of the last part. "If it meant...watching as everything they love dies away."

"Immortality has always been man's greatest wish," a boy's voice startled Eve's thoughts as she turned hastily around, almost falling from the railing themselves but being caught by a pair of strong hands that stabled her back on. They were warm, unlike the strange coldness that had overcome her being since she became immortal. She. turned secure of her sitting, to a young man. He was young and had ravishing red hair that almost mirrored the color of her eyes. Not only was his hair a beautiful color but his right eye was of a bewitching emerald color. The oddity she found was the eyepatch that he wore upon his left eye.

"You heard me," it wasn't a question but more of a cold statement. If he had heard any of what she had said and had connected the dots she was obligated to turn him in the Kamui but more importantly to Roman. Roman always told the three that if a human should find out about their immortality that their only choice was to end that human's life. There where many of them but not even a handful of beings like Eve and her sisters.

"I didn't mean to startle you, my bad," he said chuckling letting go of her as she turned to the inside of the balcony to glare at him with her crimson eyes. "But I was intrigued by that question you asked the golem."

"You eavesdropped on Kameron and I," she spat out. "You're a very detestable person."

The young man sweat dropped at her harsh comment, "Cold. Very crude coming from such a cutey like yourself."

"Go die," she called irritated. He sweat dropped again. That's when she noticed the uniform. It was like hers and her sisters'. "You're one of the other Exorcists Lenalee told me about."

"Yep," he said getting his hopes up since the conversation changed. "The name's Lavi, sweetcakes. What about yours?"

"Not saying," she answered flat out. Then silenced ocerwhlemed them. Lavi feeling rather awkward about it noticed her unusual attire. "Aren't you cold with only that on?"

"Now you're a peeping pervert? Do your insults have no end or what?" she counterattacked. Somehow that big mouth seemed to start making her uncute-r by the second. Her breath was starting to be seen by the air that got colder and he could see his own breath. He groan and took off his red scarf as he wrapped it a couple of times round the girl's petite neck.

"You're just a little shy, aren't you?" he teased her trying to give her a spoonful of her own medicine as he leaned, arms crossed over his chest, upon the railing. "Okat then, sweetcakes, let's play a game shall we?" She opened her mouth but before she could retort he had continued talking, "I'll try guessing your name, okay?"

"Whatever," she called as she cupped Kammy in her hands and bounced her up and down. She didn't want to go back to being isolated in that room even if she was away from the catacumbs. But staying with this Lavi guy seemed just as bad; she hated playboys.

"Mmh," he said in thought. "What about Ariel?"

"Nope."

"Ashley?"

"No."

"Kathleen."

"Not even close."

"How 'bout Nina?"

"Ice cold."

"You're not helping, you know?" he said knowing he wasn't getting any closer by guessing any further. "How about just a little clue. What you say to that sweetcakes? Just a little word or phrase that'll give a, let's say, 1% chance of finding out?"

Eve glanced over at Lavi with a cold stare. Went back to watching Kammy as she thought, sure not like a human could guess my whole name by a single phrase. "Gospel."

"Envangelique." She turned shocked and surprised eyes wide. He only gave a cocky grin. How? she thought, a single word and without hesitation he guessed it right. She opened her mouth to respond but he won her to it, "That's a really pretty name sweetcakes."

She pouted like a little kid who'd just been scolded, "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" he still had that stupid cocky grin plastered on his face.

"Get it right with only one word," she finished. "My name's unusual. It's old Greek. How with only that one word to describe it?"

"Gospel is the good news, right?" he said. "And 'the bringer of gospel' in old Greek is Evangelique."

"You're weird," she said simply as she kept playing with Kammy.

"Now how 'bout another question?" he asked as he was starting to frustrate her with the Q and A. "You were talking about how immortality is a curse. How so?"

"Immortality," she began unsure if continuing the conversation would uncover her secret. She chose to remain in the conversation but chose her words carefully. "It sounds like it would be a rather painful experience to live forever."

"Yeah, what makes you think that sweetcakes?" he asked staring at her with a quizzical frown. "Isn't the point of immortality that you don't get to face death?"

"Yeah but at what cost?" was she realy discussing this with a mere human? But somehow she couldn't contain her mouth or her mind from talking on and on. Talking to this guy- Lavi -seemed so very natural and very, very comfortable. "I mean, sure living forever sounds nice and all but how would you deal with seeing everyone else die. Imagine yourself young and undying and then watching all the ones you love dying in front of you and you unable to do anything about it."

"Mmh," he said in thought closing his eye. "You have a point there. But immortality is unattainable."

"What makes _you _say that?" she asked genuinely curious.

"Humans always yearn what they cannot obtain. Humans want always what they can and will never have no matter how hard they try. That's why some called this search for immortality their reason to live," he explained hiimself.

"They yearn..." her eyes wide with the illustration that he had given her. "For something they can never have?" Her voice told her that somehow she understood then again that she didn't quite get it.

"Basically," he said trying to find a better and more simple example for a young girl like 'sweetcakes'. "For example, there's this poor family who watch always as the rich walk by their poor house. They want to be rich of course, anybody does. But to them, who are so down to the dirt, have a yearning for it even though it is theoretically impossible for that dream to be accomplished."

"I see what you mean," she understood a little bit better. "But getting the unattainable is something very fearful in itself," she murmured.

"Huh?" Lavi sighed looking her way noticing her sullen face. The way the moonlight hit her small face was gorgeous. She looked like a little porcelain doll that he was so afraid to handle because he was afraid she would break at his mere touch. He had seen this kind of beauty before somewhere...a long time ago.

"I mean, sometimes not getting what you want the most is better," she sighed looking up into the moonlight.

Then he remembered a name to go with that face he remembered and whispered it to himself in thought, "Barathrum?"

Eve was glancing at him with a bit of wide eyes before she heard, "Nee-chan!" Both turned to see Cherry tired and in her nightgown, she looked as if she had ran a mile.

"Cherry?" Eve called getting off the railing. "What's wrong?"

"It's Kotori," she said panting. "Something...something happened to her. She's crying blood..."


	3. Chapter 3

"What are you doing?" Road asked Edelle as she sat there brushing her hair. She answered herself before Edelle could, "I know you're brushing your hair but what exactly for?"

"I like relaxing before creating my creatures," she simply said.

"What creatures?" Tyki asked as he entered the room.

"Tyki!" Road called jumping over to land on his shoulders. "Beats me."

"You'll see," she said as she finished brushing her hair and stood up. She wasn't the little girl anymore. She had changed like before from baby to toddler but this time from toddler to teen. The same outfit, the same hair style. She cupped her hands as from the emptiness a silverish liquid filled her hands. "I'm glad to be calling you forth again. You're are an extention of me and so will it be that you do my bidding." At openning her cupped hands four small silver pearls fell to the floor. They bounced away as they started to shine like did the baby's form and soon three distinct bodies appeared. It started from left to right.

A little short girl with a purple shaddish dress and black shiny shoes stood there. Her hair was white but it didn't looked like hair at all. It was long to her shoulder as it curled into two big curls. On top of her head was a mean pair of eyes looking around and a grim curling from her bangs. Her eyes were a black void and her skin white. "Master, Baaba and Boo at your service."

The next one was a guy with golden hair short and spiked. He had ears pierced along with his lip and eyebrow and eyes the same black void and white skin. He didn't look over at either of it's companions but instead had his full attention to Edelle. "Princess Edelle, the humble sevice of Loki is all yours."

The last was a little boy as ghostly as the little girl. He's eyes the same black void as the three and skin as white as them. He had dark blue hair long to his knees tied in a bow. Staring at it was like watching a night sky full of stars for it seemed to change perspective everytime one looked away. "Master Edelle, Mousy here to serve."

"The three parts of my power at its branches," Edelle explained to the Noah. "Baaba and Boo, the Ghastly Duo. Loki the Mischieve of Fire. Lastly, Mousy the Master of Dreamland. Go forth, take the Akuma of the Millenium Earl to aide you in my bidding, find the Key Pieces. Our Shadowland of Synchronicity must open its doors only to me, Edelle Barathrum."

"Yes, Master," the three chanted as they disappeared.

"What's Shadowland?" Road asked as Tyki appraoched Edelle.

"Shadowland is where all of our family came from," Edelle told her. "It's the place where the Founding Six appeared and created our kind, the Synchros."

"Sinchronicity is the old city lost in time and space, isn't it?" Road called standing next to Edelle.

"Yes, _Mother, Father, Grandmother, Grandfather, Son _and_ Daughter_ were the first inhabitants of Synchronicity; the Founding Six hence created its capitol Shadowland," Edelle continued. "They left six keys upon the human world for us, their descendants, to find. When I find them the greatest power of the six hidden within Shadowland's core will be mine."

* * *

><p>"Is it really bad?" Cherry asked as she knelt down before Kotori's bed with Kammy on top of her head.<p>

"Shh!" Eve snapped at her as she shut quiet. Eve turned to Kotori, whom she had placed a wet towel upon her eyes and dimmed the lights to mere gaslights. "At what time did you start getting the headaches."

"I-I don't k-know," Kotori was sobbing lightly after half an hour of heavy weeping due to the pain. "A-About ten. R-right after d-dinner, I think."

"I see," Eve soothed with a calm voice the fear of the youngest. "You may seem the oldest but deep inside you are still the little scared child as always."

"We take care of you Kotori-chan," Cherry sulked. "Not the other way around."

"I k-know," she sobbed a little heavier. "I-I'm sorry."

Eve patted her head softly as she changed the towel with another fresh one and stood, "Cherry can you take care of her for now?"

"Huh? Sure," she said standing up and noticing some staggering in her sister's stance. "Is something wrong with _you_?"

"No, I'm fine," she admitted heading for the door. "Change her towel every half an hour or so upon her eyes. The headache and pain should subside soon enough. You'll feel better soon, Kotori."

"T-Thank you onee-sama," she said trying hard not to cry.

Eve exited the room with a heavy sigh. Her own head was pounding heavily as well. Evangelique recognized those symptoms. She had them for the course of half a century while the Innocence adapted to her body and its restrictions. First, the headaches turning into migraines. Then the blood would thin making avaiable orifices the exits. That explaiend Kotori crying blood. The third stage was the blood fighting with the essence of the Innocence, making a massive counterattack on the body. One of two things happened, either the immortal died to ressurect one hundred percent synchronized with the Innocence or she would die and not wake again. How did she know? Someone from her past two centuries ago had suffered the latter and right in front of her eyes.

"Is she okay?" Eve turned up confused and dumbfounded. The strong rays of the sun blinded her from the view of who was in front of her but she knew who it was by the voice. "Is it morning already?"

"You've been up with your sister for about seven or eight hours about now," Lavi answered her question. "Is she going to be fine?"

"It's a matter of time before she gets better," she answered passing by him without dismay. "For now I'd appreciate it if you would stop stalking me and mind your own business." She went ahead and left him to his own and headed to her room. She needed to change and eat something. Her body was yearning more food. For some kind of ailment to her week long deprevation. Getting to her room she locked the door behind her as she stumbled to her bed kneeling in front of it as she held herself. What's wrong with me, she thought. I thought I had rested enough. Why do I feel so weak?

Two knocks quickly made her pick her own body up as she answered, pressuming it was the same man she had just left behind, "Didn't I make it clear to you to mind your freaking business?" She sounded mad or was it just her hunger talking?

"It's Komui," he responded to her nasty backtalk. She quickly- painfully - opened the door with a regretful look, "I apologize. I mistook for someone else."

"I wonder who," he said not exactly a question but he entered, closing the door behind him. "Roman told me about the place called Shadowland. The capitol of the lost Synchronicity, right?"

"Then he told you about the keys too then," Eve said sitting down heavily on the her bed.

"The powers hidden inside Shadowland could come in handy with our fight against the Earl, Eve. Have you considered-"

"Obtaining those ancient powers of my people to fight with you?" She scoffed the idea away, "My only target is to keep Shadowland and all of Synchronifity hidden from human beings. Nobody needs to know what happened there."

"Then what I've found out will turn your stomach," he added tossing a file at her side. Eve took it, read it silently, an slowly her eyes widened in shock and fear. "As you see, the Earl is attempting to find this keys and resurface all Synchronicity back. Akuma are scattering through old temples and ruins trying to find the keys. What I'd like to know is how he found out."

Her eyes returned to normal, "Some surviving rogue probably. I've dealt with my handful through the years." She stood up with intention driving her tired and hungry body and drove it to her nightstand which inside held her personal items, one of them being a map. She laid it upon her bed, "If it's a rogue guiding the Millenium Earl then it's most probably that they know much less than I do. So I would start looking for any key in particular here-" she pinpointed to a place nearby Italy, Florence. "An old friend, Ash Silverhorn, used to say that a village nearby, The Valley of Ashes, was one of the most secure places since the Black Plague ran the citizens out. That should be as good of a starting point as any."

"Then I'll me deploying you and your sisters out as soon as possible," Komui agreed but she held up a hand in standback.

"About that," she yawned first and felt her stomach grumble a bit. "Kotori's sick because of her trasition and I left Cherry at her care. I doubt they can come with me. However-" she pointed at another direction to the East, Asia. "Kotori's home country, the Bailong Empire, should too be a good starting point as well. Once Kotori gets better, send both of them there with one of your Exorcists. I'll deal with the valley."

"It's too dangerous for you to go on your first mission alone. Especially when the circumstances are this high. No, you'll be dispatched with three other Exorcists," Komui said.

"I work better alone, Supevisor," she said finding her uniform. "I've learned that the hard way. Peple who work with me tend to die since I have no self-value of my own life. If I can't value mine, what makes you so sure that I'll value theirs."

"You'll have to start by finding the will to care. No matter what, you are not leaving to that valley by yourself," Komui said starting to leave. "I have the perfect three to accompany you and the one to accompany your sisters. They should be arriving by noon so you will depart before nightfall. You should meet them to see that your sisters and you are in good hands. Remember, Evangelique-" using her full name gave him her full attention. "For now I'm the one you answer to." And with that left her to change.

"Humans," she scorned. "They think it's easy to live in the reality we live in."

**~X~**

"Don't be so harsh on them, Eve-chan," Komui played around.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Eve shouted. "One of your 'capable hands' is a perverted man!"

"That's cold sweetcakes," Lavi said offended yet again.

"Don't even start with me..." she growled feeling a bit tired to fight. "Who are those two anyways?" There were four Exorcists there. Excluding Lavi and Lenalee, Eve didn't know the other two.

"My name's Allen Walker," the boy with white hair and grey eyes said. "Nice to meet you."

"Kanda," the long haired man called to her coldly.

"Who's going with Kotori and Cherry," it didn't sound like a question. She was demanding to know who would be responsible for the lives of the two most important people in her life left.

"I've appointed Kanda to that task. As a bodyguard for your sisters it'd be easier than to mount those two with unanecessary luggage," Komui explained. "But you shouldn't be worrying too much, they can, after all, defend themselves."

"Of course they cannot. I have lived with them most of my life. That's why I don't want leave them with a dimwit monkey," she crushed at his words. Kanda filling up with rage was stopped from attack the girl by Allen and Lavi.

"Eve-san, you should have more confidence in your sisters. If they were chosen by Innocence then it was for a reason. They are strong. Plus having Kanda with them wouldn't hurt," Lenalee added.

"Don't pratonize me," she said coldly. She turned to Kanda and glared back at him, "You better not let them out of your sight for second. If I find out they had even a scratch that happened because of your lack of power, you'll be talking from you deathbed."

"Try it you _brat_," he mumbled the last part getting frustrated with the girl.

"I guess if he can talk back to me like that he should suffice," she said after a breath. "Have you already explained what we'll be doing at those places to them?"

He sighed and looked at the four, "The Earl has been sending random amounts of Akuma around from country to country in search of something. Because of Miss Rasmusen's knowledge we might have an advantage at obtaining this foreign and ancient power before the Earl does. Your mission as two seperate teams is to search for a clue in these two locations with the help of those with knowledge about it. Meaning the Rasumsen Sisters."

"What are we exactly looking for?" Allen asked confused.

"A key," Eve blurted out sitting on the edge of Komui's desk, lifting her legs. "It has no definite shape because back then those keys were a sphere of silver power enclosed in personal items. So to put it simple, what we may be looking for could be something as rich as a jewel or a crown or maybe just something casual like an old earring or a simple ornament. The only good thing the we know for sure is that the item cannot be any smaller than a baseball. Anything else fits the description."

"How do you suppose to find such a thing that has such a broad scope, brat?" Kanda asked trying to piss her off unable to.

"With this," Kammy came flying out from behind her.

"A golem?" Allen asked as he noticed Timcampy's wings burst out.

"Kameron was specially made by my old man to sense out these keys. The essences of the keys might be deplensished, so the locations she gives us may not be as precise as they should be. It's better than nothing though," she explained.

"What about your sisters and I?" Kanda asked.

"Kammy," she said as Kammy furled her cherub wings and then unfurled them to unravel a little version of herself but with no tail and smaller wings and blue. "That's Jr. He'll guide you through the outskirts of Bailong for a key. Any other questions?" Nobody answered her back. She coughed a bit and turned to Komui. "I have to eat first though and check on those two before I live."

"Make it quick," Komui told her. "Like I said I don't want you particularly walking around during the night. Which is why I want you and your sisters to rest for a little longer. Also I'm concerned about Kotori-"

"Want to give us a break? Fine. But I suggest that you don't finish that sentence in front of your guys," she called leaving the four behind.

"Is she really the girl you described?" Allen turned to Lenalee dumbstruck.

"She's just a bit nervous, I guess," Lenalee defended her.

"I'm starting to regret taking this mission," Kanda stated.

"Don't really see what's wrong with her that you're all worried about," Lavi smiled.

He gave them a week to prepare. Kotori was alright by the third day however Komui didn't allow the dispatch until the appointed day. Kotori watched alongside with Cherry as Kanda and Bookman fought.

"Boring~!" Cherry called. Kanda had already defeated most of the people there but Bookman was turning out to be a little harder.

"Don't yell, Cherry," Kotori reproached. "It's bad manners."

She pouted, "Where's nee-chan at anyways?"

"Somewhere else," Kotori answered placing her hand in front of her eyes.

"How you feeling?" Cherry asked looking at her sister.

"Lucky," she responded making a face of question come from Cherry. "I was blinded temporarily when you started taking care of me. Right now it's a little less than a blur." She looked up and tried following the men's attacks in a futile attempt she lost them after a few minutes and sighed. "I'm still not ready if I can't follow the steps of those men..."

"Sister moves way faster than that, doesn't she?" Cherry asked.

"I wonder," Kotori started. "Did you know if she recovered after using Illuminie that third time."

"She shattered her right shoulder," Cherry explained. "But after she died off exhaustion, that was fixed."

"I see," Kotori answered. Suddenly she looked up to see Kanda walking over to them, only because his towel was over that way. "Nice work," she complimented with a smile.

"What?" he said not really having paid attention to Kotori.

"She just complimented you!" Cherry boiled. She never liked people avoiding them like that. "Say something!"

"Oh, thanks," he said going to leave.

"How rude," Cherry pouted and noticed Kotori looking after him. "One-tan?"

"Huh?"

"Where you just staring at that brute?"

Kotori chuckled and shook her head, "It's weird but I feel like a bit nostalgic around that guy. It's probably just the blindness that doesn't let me see right."

"Most probably," Cherry said standing up. "Hey wanna go eat somethin'?" Kotori nodded and let her sister guide her away.  
><strong><br>~X~**

"I'm starving!" Allen whined as he, Lenalee, and Lavi walked.

"You always are," Lavi answered.

"Lavi's right, Allen," Lenalee called. They were heading over to Komui's to report the status of a latest mission they had have. But right before they walked in, Allen noticed the door ajar just enough and unexpectedly stopped at the sound of a voice.

"How's your injury?" a man's voice he didn't recognize call from most probably what sounded like a transmitter.

"It scarred already," Eve answered. "But for some reason I'm still hungry. No matter what I eat, my body's yearning something else. It still wants something more."

"Odd," the man's voice called again intrigued. "This has never happened before with you."

"Since that cliff jump, my body's been weird all together," Eve explained more in depth. "It's more warm than usual but then gets ice cold out of nowhere. Then my scars are starting to turn pinkish as if they were freshly made."

"How often do you injure yourself on a monthly basis," Komui asked.

"Over a hundred times," Eve answered as if nothing.

"In broad places of her body," the man added and Eve scorned.

"I see," Komui answered. "I will study this in your behalf Roman. Is there anything I should watch out for?"

"Yes," the man's voice- Roman -said in deep concern. "There is. Her body will need a full inspection. With this unusual effects happening, probably it should be weekly. But what you should really watch out for should be-"

"Just spill it to him already, kiddo," Eve reproached. "When inspectioning my mind watch out Supervisor. I've blocked away some bits and pieces about my past and those things react on their own. If you threat to expose the things they know then my body will react by itself. In other words, come too close to those memories and I'll be attempting to kill you right there and then."


	4. Chapter 4

**Asian Branch_East Dispatch**

"Hello~Asian Branch~!" Cherry shouted happily as the three entered the Asian Branch throught he Ark.

"Cherry, please wait!" Kotori called after as she exited trying to keep up but also wait for Kanda. "I apologize about her."

"She's starting to get annoying," he admitted.

"I know," she looked over to the old place. It reminded her of the catacumbs. Out of the reach of humans and where they were safe. Where she had found herself safe fifty years ago before meeting her sister. "Ah, Bak-san!"

"Huh?" he looked up from his work to the girl. "Kotori-chan? Is that you?"

"Yes," she said smiling as Kanda appraoched her.

"It's been a long time. How's Roman and Cardigan?"

"Still in the catacumbs," she answeres simply.

"I see. So what brings you here?" Bak asked.

"Didn't Komui tell you about our visit to Bailong?" Kanda told him a little bit pissed.

Bak with wide eyes turned to Kotori, "You're going back to that place?"

"I-It's for a mission," Kotori explained hastily catching a bit of Kanda's attention. "I'm with the Black Order now. So is Cherry onee-san and onee-sama."

"Of course," Bak confirmed. "I remembered Komui said something about that. So you're heading to Bailong Empire."

"Not with those clothes we aren't!" Cherry called as she was dragging Fou and the other scientists over. "We need to infiltrate in there to find what we're looking for." Cherry gave out clothes that Fou and the others had gathered for them. They were Chinese and fitted them all quite perfectly. "Now we can go."

"You too?" Bak called reffering to Cherry. Bak only took them to the closest transportation that would take them to the empire of Bailong, a train. "When you get there be sure to not cause any disturbances if necessary. Understood?"

"Sure~" Cherry chanted as she stuck her head out of the window.

"See you later," Kotori waved as the train left. Kotori sat back sighing heavily.

"Bak was surprised about you going back to that hell hole wasn't he?" Cherry said out loud.

"Very much," Kotori said with a smile. "I don't want to go back either."

"It's a mission," Kanda said. "It doesn't matter if we want to or not."

"That's one thing," Kotori admitted forcing a smile that ticked Kanda off. "The other is...well. Nothing no one should know anymore."

**~X~**

"Busy as I remember it," she kept walking guiding the other two.

"Nee-tan knows a lot about her hometown," Cherry mumbled to Kanda who understood her but could careless. "Although she hates this place with a passion." They kept walking as Jr. hovered over Kotori's shoulder.

"Jr. think Xing has any information about what could have happened to those things?" Jr. nodded to her as she guided them to an old sword shop. "Xing!" she callled "Are you here?"

"Kotori-chan?" an old man turned to her wide eyed and shocked. "Well, it is you. I haven't seen you since they took you that time. How have you been?"

"Good Xing, what about your father?" she asked casually.

"As dead as he'll ever be," the old man laughed. "To think I met you when you were only a little kid. You've grown very much. By the way, Mrs. and Mr. Yue are having their tenth anniversary. You should go visit them before you leave."

"I don't think so, Xing," she said with a forced smiled that still bother Kanda a hell lot. "By the way, I'm looking for some of those temple ruins. Have you got any way to tell us what has happened to the oldest?"

"They're still there," Xing said coughing. "You played there along with me. They are still there awaiting time to drive them away."

"Thanks Xing," Kotori said without any more preamble.

As they were leaving Kanda was the last to leave, "Young lad."

"What is it?" Kanda asked as the girls were talking outside.

"Please take Kotori-chan to see the Yue's. They were her parents after all," Xing said going ahead to the back of the shop. Kanda only exited with the word _were _stuck in his head.

"C'mon, Kanda-tan!" Cherry called as they went away to the ruins. "Holy moly! They're huge."

"Let's keep moving," Kotori said going on ahead. "The faster we move, it's most likely that we will avoid fighting with Akuma."

"She's right," Kanda hated agreeing with her.

They entered and stopped at the huge lobby. Going in further they found themselves in a lower chamber. "How is it Jr. Anything at all?" Jr. went on ahead as he examined the place then its body started beeping red slowly and getting faster as he went on skirting away at a fast pace. "Hurry!" she called running after him and the two followed suit. At that chamber was a pedestal and on it a little tear earring. Although it was dark, a small hole in the roof shone above it

"That's it?" Cherry asked looking over and ran over to it.

"Wait!" Kotori called pulling her back just as a bunch of arrows shot from the left wall of the small chamber. Cherry dropped to her knees a bit freaked. "I thought traps would be placed to protect it."

"Then I'll go-" Kanda was stopped by the stretched out hand of Kotori's.

"Let me try first. I don't want to risk it," she said smiling.

He hesitated but looked at her sighing, "Fine."

"Thank you," she said softly as she told them to step as far away from the walls. "Innocence activate, Grandmother Gaia." A figure of a child formed by a green light appeared with the shadow of an old woman crouched because of her paining back. "Earthern Shield." Then walls rose from the ground covering the original walls. "Now go, Cherry."

"Thank you, miss," all turned to see a little boy with long hair getting the earring from the pedestal. He placed it inside his little pouch.

"W-What the hell!" Cherry called. "Who the hell are you!"

"Mousy was ordered to follow you and get the key," he said jumping off the pedestal. "Please let Mousy go out."

"As if!" Cherry said as she activated her Innocence and her gloved fists charged with thunder. Taking a step forth she punched out a spear of thunder.

But right before it even touched Mousy, he pronounced, "Absorb." A black void appeared from nowhere and the spear went in it without any damage.

"What?" Cherry panted shocked.

"Release," Mousy mumbled as the void released the thunder spear a ten fold of the the orinigal power hitting Cherry against the wall, making her unconscious. "Please let Mousy through," he yawned.

But Kanda had already gotten behind him with Mugen activated and ready to attack. But Mousy glanced back as he mumbled, "Block." A red wall of pixels appeared blocking Mugen as Kanda was thrown back by the force of his own attak ten fold into another wall. "Will you too attack Mousy?"

"Who told you to get the key?" Kotori asked calmly.

"Master said not to tell her name," Mousy yawned. Then his eyes widened as he recognized Kotori, "Ah, you're one of the targets Master said to kill. You're the no name."

"No name?" Kotori whispered a bit fearful.

"Hey, tell me. Who are you? What's your name?" Mousy appraoched her step by step.

"K-Kotori!" Kotori shouted scared a bit as she stepped back until the wall caught her with no exit.

"Lies," Mousy said. "You have no name. Master told me. You were never given a name when you were born."

"S-Shut up!" Kotori yelled scared to her wits.

"If you don't want to hear it from me, then hear it from yourself," Mousy jumped hovering in front of Kotori and poked her forehead with his index finger. "I'm _somebody _and you're a _nobody. __Nobodies _aren't suppose to exists. You don't belong in this world. Now leave and suffer-" he landed as she knelt and fell to her side unconscious. "Inside your own nightmare."  
><strong><br>~**

There was a dark place where a little brunette girl stood with her back to her side. On the floor stabbed onto it, were all kinds of knives, scissors, and sharp objects. She has had this nightmare before. The little girl turned and glanced at the floor taking the handle of a knife. She remembered having this emotions, emotions that still lingered deep inside. To end a life without an ending. To finish something that has no end. The girl place the knife, both hands on it, onto her throat as tears stained her face pouring from pink eyes.

_"I'm nobody. I have no reason to be here. I want...to die..."_

_"Stop!"_ the little girl's eyes widened as Kotori, herself, turned. From afar an undistinctable figure was coming running getting closer but still blurry. _"Stop it!" _the boy's voice yelled again. _"Wake up!" _

_"Wake up?"_

"Kotori, wake up!" That voice, I've heard it before. I think I remember that time, the one I've burried deep down.

"Kotori," Cherry called concerned. "You're okay."

"Yeah," she said with a no reaction as to what happend or where she was.

"We didn't go anywhere," Kanda answered her as he grabbed her hand trying to make her let go of his uniform that she held on so tightly too. "Could you let go of me?"

"Oh, I-I'm sorry," she said letting go and wipping her tears away. "W-What happened with the earring?"

"That kid Mousy took it," Cherry said.

"That was no kid," Kanda said standing up. "There was something wrong with that boy."

"He wasn't human," Kotori said straight out and turned to Cherry. "We have to tell Onee-sama when we get back."

Cherry pouted, "We lost a key. Dammit."

"But," Kotori said. "We may have found who was looking for it."

**~X~**

Getting out of those maze like ruins was easy enough with Grandmother Gaia. However to Kanda after Mousy had made her faint, Kotori seemed a bit stressed and spaced out.

"We should get back and eat something, don't you think nee-tan?" Cherry asked her.

"Huh?" she answered a bit later. "Oh sure."

Kanda sighed and said, "Can we make one last stop before going back."

"Huh?" Kotori said surprised. "Sure but where?"

"You'll see," Kanda said taking the lead.

"A cemetery!" Cherry said going around and praying at random tombstones.

"Why?" Kotori said a little mad and still shocked. "Why bring us here? There's no need-"

"You're stressed out about something," Kanda blurted out looking ahead at the graves. "The old man told me to make sure you visited your parents' graves."

"It's none of your business!" she shouted punching his arm over and over. "Did it ever occur to you that I didn't want to come here for a reason!"

"Stop," he said catching her fist in his hand. "Now go and at least make a little peace with the dead. I answer back to you but surely they won't."

"I hate you," she called but he only pushed her. She went walking slowly as she heard his footsteps behind her. Soon enough she found the tombstones engraved with the names _Mia Yue _and _Xiao Yue._ "They're here."

"Aren't you going to pray like she's doing," Kanda said turning to look at Cherry who was going around from grave to grave at random parying to the dead.

"No," she said simply. She brushed the dirt off the top as her gaze suddenly fell upon one of the tiny graves besides, Xiao's. "Funny." She knelt in front of the tiny grave grabbing it with both hands. Kanda read it, _For our Daughter with No Name._ "They really took me for dead after I they sold me away."

"Sold?" Kanda mumbled. Kotori stood back up as suddenly her hand glowed green and a spear came from the ground smashing the small tombstones of the no name child along side with the ones of Mia and Xiao.

"Let's go," she said hiding her face from him.

_'To destroy her own family's grave and her own, what could they have possibly done?'_ Kanda lingered with that question throughout their return.


	5. Chapter 5

**Italy, Florence_South Dispatch**

"Florence looks ravishing this time of year," Lenalee said as the four walked the full streets of Florence during the Winter Festival.

"It's very lively," Allens agreed with Timcampy on his head.

"What you think sweetcakes?" Lavi asked Eve who wasn't paying much attention.

"What?" she asked after a few seconds. "Were you talking to me?"

"Nevermind," Lavi called disappointed. That was when Kammy came out of Eve's pocket to rest upon her head. Timcampy noticing her flew over in front of her and sweetly lowered his head. Kammy only floated and smacked him away with her tail.

"Sorry Tim," Allen chuckled sad for his little golem.

"Eve-san," Lenalee said going on ahead wakling along with Eve. "You said your father created Kameron. What was your father like?"

"Funny you ask cause I know nothing of him," Eve chuckled nervously not really wanting to touch that subject. "Simply put I didn't know no one from my family except my big sister."

"There's someone older than you from the Rasmusens?" Allen asked confused.

Eve shooked her head, "Not a Rasmusen. Her and I grew up together before we got seperated. After that Rasmusen got all three of us remaining and adopted us."

"Then who was this last sister?" Lavi asked.

"Nona ya," she blurted out mad at Lavi who only pouted like a little kid.

Then a little kid passed by them as he shouted, "Look mommy! Snowflakes! It's snowing!"

Eve stopped as the other three kept going as she looked up. And just as the kid had said, in the midst of that winter day, snow had started to fall.

"What's wrong sweetcakes?" Lavi asked as the other two stopped and glanced at Eve.

"It's snowing," she remarked as the snowflakes began falling more and more. "I hate this pure white."

Allen suddenly saw her eyes glimmer intensely as she stared into the snowing sky. The crimson color had turned a scarlet red just for a moment. "Eve?"

"Huh?" she turned his way blinking a couple of times as the color of her eyes returned to its normal copper. "We should find some refuge for now. Looking out in the falling snow will become a problem if we don't know if it'll stop or become worse. We need to wait until it stops snowing completely." They followed her suggestiong and found refuge at an old bed and breakfast.

"Enjoy your stay," the waitress said as she closed the door to their room. The guys had one and the girls another.

"Why are we seperated?" Lavi called disappointed.

"You're really asking why?" Allen said almost wanting to hit Lavi for once. "By the way, did Bookman mention anything about the Rasmusen Sisters." Lavi didn't look surprised that he had asked that. "I know you're as curious as me after hearing that conversation yesterday. Lenalee ignored it; when I asked her all she said was that it wasn't nice to snoop around. I'm interested but I have no sources to research from. But you being the apprentice of the Bookman, an appearing omnipresent being, have those resources. My question is, did you ask?"

Lavi sighed and laid on his bed, arms crossed behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. "I did ask. As you mentioned about that conversation we accidentally overheard the other day, I asked Bookman about those Rasmusen sisters. What he said was 'Don't go looking for trouble boy. That's all those three are.' I didn't get what he meant but like hell was I going to ask him again."

"I see," Allen said solenmly. "I still wish to know what makes them so different from us. Keeping such secrets from us, what would Komui be thinking?"

"God knows," Lavi said as he turned on his side as he looked out of the window as he saw the snow harshly falling as it turned into a blizzard.

"You can take a shower next Eve-san," Lenalee said coming out of the shower drying her hair with a towel glancing over at her. But Eve wasn't paying any attention, instead her whole mind was focused as the snowflakes that had calmed down after awhile of the blizzard. Lenalee saw in the reflection of the glass that in her hands near her bosom, Eve was holding a small necklace, the emblem she held was of a black 'T' facing down with the horizontal ends curving a bit in. In the dim reflection of her face she could see tears. "Eve-san, are you alright?"

"Huh?" she called hiding her necklace and wipping her tears quickly before turning. "I apologize, had you said something to me?"

"The shower's free now," Lenalee said slowly pointing her thumb at the opened room's door.

"Thanks," she called as she went inside shutting the door behind her. Lenalee stared after her path, what was wrong with her.

Inside, Eve didn't waste any time. She wanted something to warm the coldness her body was feeling. A coldness that she'd been living with for over two centuries. She filled the tub with only more hot that warm water and went in. She laid there silently thinking over her thoughts. Why had she been crying? All the things that her mind had suddenly remembered were of a past that implicated her no more. A past that had died along with her humanity. She felt cold still in that boiling water. Had it been the snow? Could such frivolous act of nature harm an immortal such as her? Or could it have been something else. Had that blizzard and whiteness reminded her of the past she had left to die behind her footsteps. She didn't know, or more like she wanted not to remember. To her that past was like an old picture movie that was so ripped up that not even she could see beyond the tears, even less repair them. It was a damaged past just like the other two. She found out by the centuries that the longer she went on searching for other immortals the more she'd find stories much alike her own, even worse like the case of Kotori. Her own wasn't the issue to her. Her own didn't matter to her if it meant she could care for those two passively.

Two knocks awoke her from her daydream as Lenalee's voice interrupted her train of thought, "Are you alright in there?"

"I'm fine," she answered slowly not believing in her own voice for the moment.

"Alright. Allen and Lavi ordered some food up here and are coming over."

"I'll be out before then," she assured her.

"Okay then," and her footsteps faded and Eve heard the door close behind Lenalee's leaving. "Complicated humans," she mumbled. "They assume by facial expressions their own kind's emotions. I suppose I, sometime, did so too." She rose, dried, and dressed herself lightly in the same kind of summer nightgown as before but in a light blue color. As she walked out and past a mirror she halted and turned back. Her eyes widened a little at her own reflection. Her hair had grown long since the last time she'd glanced at her reflection. It had gone past her shoulder blades and growing at a remarkable speed and now up to her waist. It's shine, nevertheless, didn't faltered but instead reamined the same. Her eyes however had changed drastically to her. Their calm shine had become more savage as if they yearned for something. Something that she knew about. "Blood. _Your _blood."

"Sweetcakes~!" Lavi surprised her as he ambushed her hugging her.

"Get off me!" she shouted pushing him away to kiss the carpeted floor. She stormed away from him and sat on her bed far into the middle top. "You're annoying!"

"Lavi," Lenalee sighed.

"Seriously," Allen chuckled embarrased of his friend's attitude.

"Lenalee," Eve muttered catching the girl's attention.

"Yes?" she asked as the boys took turns picking what they wanted to get.

"Do you have scissors? I would like for you to cut my hair," she murmured not wanting the others to hear.

"Um, sure but Eve-san you look much better with long hair. At least I think so," Lenalee complimented choosing some more food from the tray.

"Would you...please?" she said mouthing the last word. Lenalee was a little shock for she had never heard Eve not once say please or any other mannerism to someone who wasn't her sisters.

Her eyes changed with tenderness and nodded,"I'll do it tonight then."

"Whaf afre fou fwo fafing afout?" Lavi's talking with undecipherable and he started choking.

"Suits you," Eve said going for the door.

"Where are you going?" Allen asked as Lenalee helped Lavi giving him some water.

"Outside."

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"Later," she said going out. She then found herself in the front of the bed and breakfast where there was an old, burnt down row of houses. "You're sad, Valley of Ashes. Since that burning in 1703, you stopped being the Oasis of Italy. What else happened while I was trapped down there for one and a half centuries?" She went and squated before the burnt houses as she looked up to the snow falling. Suddenly Kameron came and sat on her head. "Kammy?" And that's when she felt the heavy coat upon her shoulders and she stood turning quickly behind her to find Allen with a gentle smile on his face.

"She told me where to find you."

"I wanted to be alone," she explained a bit angry but not showing it.

"I know how that is but it's freezing outside and I doubted you would last long with only that nightgown on," he said chuckling a bit.

Eve held the shoulders of the coat and to her already cold hands the lingering warmth of the body once that it once covered warmth her as well, "It's yours, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I'm fine with this weather though," he assured. "I don't see how you're not."

"I love the snow," she said twirling to face the sky again, putting the coat on. "But I hate it's color."

"White?" Allen appraoched and stood beside her looking up as well with Timcampy trying to get Kammy's attention futilely.

"Yeah," she extended her hands cupped together as the flakes fell upon them and melted in seconds. "It's pure. The purest color of them all. But also it's the most fragile. It can be tainted so easily especially with its most vibrant counterpart."

"Black?" Allen asked looking at her, seeing his breath.

"Red," Eve corrected facing him as well seeing her breath. "Red taints everything white and leaves a mark. A scar for everyone to see and won't ever go away."

"What happened to you?" Allen asked abruptly taking her a little by surprise. "So many injuries-" he stopped himself but too late. Eve was surprised at first but then scoffed and smiled looking down into the ashed houses.

"You overheard that conversation I had with Roman and Komui," she said not exactly in a question but he answered.

"Yes." He found it easier to ask now that the matter was out in the air. "How is it that you get so hurt, if i may ask?"

"I have lots of accidents. Accidents that I used to cause to myself when I was little and accidents that happened because as luck has it I'm not in her list," she explained the answer that would come as close to the truth without actually having to spell it out. "But that's it. Besides the ones from battles I'm practically scarred from head to toe."

"I-I see," Allen said glancing down. "Sorry."

"About what? It's true and things happen," she turned to face him with a gentle smile that made him flinch a bit. "I bet that cursed eye of yours wasn't because you're so damn lucky too."

"Ha, you noticed," he said chuckling nervously.

"A lil' hard not to."

"It happened when I tried bringing someone I loved as an Akuma," he confessed.

"I see," she repeated his answer. "You too are a sinner."

"A sinner?" he repeated confused.

"There's a saying that some old religion came up with some centuries ago. I studied it," she stroke right back. " 'Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.' Both you and I are sinners." She grinned a childish smile that made him. "Which pretty much means that both you and I have pretty much our futures ahead of us." That smile and her comment made him smile warmly at her.

"Yeah," he said. "I guess you're right."

"When aren't I," she murmured and looked up at Kammy. "Right, Kammy?" But Kammy's wings didn't perk up from her voice but she could feel something as she darted away.

"What?" Allen called looking after her.

"Hurry!" Eve called as she followed Kameron. Soon both found themselves in front of a torn down and half burnt factory. They walked slowly inside as they found the place charred. "I saw her come in here."

"I did too," Allen said and suddenly Kammy came darting into her, shaking. "What-"

"You're Walker-kun, right?" a girl's voice reverberated around the vacant factory. Both faced the second floor where a little girl sat upon one of the charred ledges.

"What the-?" Allen exclaimed.

"Babaa!" Eve shouted manifesting Ying into her right hand and shooting at the girl.

"Whoa!" Babaa became transparent as the bullets went through her and into the building. She floated down onto the floor as she became visible again. "What a welcome from you Barathrum! We haven't seen each other for the longest and this is how you say hello? Jeesh. But well, if you want to be like that then-" she snapped her fingers as Allen's Crown Clown acitvated by itself.. Then masses of level 1 Akuma with hidden level 2's appeared from nowhere.

"Akuma," he hissed, activating his right arm. Eve didn't wait for him as she manifested her sub machine gun, Merry Nightmare, and began shooting at the Akuma who got damaged gravely by the anti-Akuma weapon of hers. But no matter how many she took down, double that came back up.

"You resistent piece of trash," she called pulling both Ying and Yang into action as Allen helped her.

"They're stupid," Boo called with a vibrant voice to Babaa. "Not Walker-kun, only Barathrum is."  
>~<p>

"Allen's taking a lot, don't you think?" Lenalee said as they were cleaning the food.

"So's sweetcakes," Lavi said a little worried. "We can't just stay here and guess. Let's get going, Lenalee."

"H-How many have we k-killed," Eve said panting tired standing back to back against the Akuma colony that surrounded both.

"I lost count a-after fifty," Allen panted trying to see from where they'd attack.

"Stop~" Babaa called as the Akuma froze in their tracks as Babaa floated before the two Exorcists. "As long as there's one all will come back. But believe me, I don't want any trouble. I was only told by Master to get the key that's here. I really don't want to kill you Allen-kun."

"That's really nice of you," Allen went along catching his breath.

"But Barathrum is another story," Boo commented. "Master told us to eliminate any of the Synchros we found in our way."

"Then Mousy must be out there too," Eve said with a smirk. "I trust Kotori and Cherry can deal with that little brat."

"Really~?" Babaa said floating upside down as Boo extended her hair and faced them normally. "You know Mousy has grown stronger by the years."

"That and Master told him about that no name's past," Boo scoffed.

"You-" Eve was about to shoot when Allen stopped her.

"What you want is the key? Well we don't know where it is?" Allen said truthfully.

"Lair~" Boo chanted as she glared at Eve. "Barathrum knows."  
>~<p>

"This is where the fresh trail stops," Lenalee said as they stoof in front of the old factory.

"Then let's," he put his hand upon the knob but quickly withdrew it as he called. "Ow, hot!"

"Nah-ah boy," a guy's voice called as the two turned to see a shadow as he lifted his hand. "Don't disturb them. Barathrum should be having a handful just with Babaa and trying to keep her mouth shut in front of the 14th." Then his whole hand caught on a bright fire.  
>~<p>

"That's it," Eve called as Ying and Yang broke into black particles and dispersed around the factory creating a black field that engulfed them in an obscurity that only allowed matter to be seen through.

"W-What's this?" Allen exclaimed confused.

"It's this some kind of trick?" Babaa chuckled going around.

"We ain't scared!" Boo shouted.

"Oh really?" she whispered as she manifested a pure silver magnum into her left hand, aimed upward with her arm, and fired once a montrous blast that became a huge power.

"Where are you aiming at~!" Babaa laughed hysterically.

"This place is my Magic Battlefield. And as long as you're in it-" she lowered her arm to her side as she glared up to Babaa with serious scarlet eyes. The huge blast parted into numerous shots that blasted away every last Akuma leaving the place with bullet holes everywhere. Babaa only stared in amusement with her mouth wide open. Then suddenly was brought down by black chains onto the floor unable to move. Eve aimed the magnum on her head, "I'll never miss."

"I see," Babaa said smiling. "You too have grown stronger since then. Stronger than me too. My question to you is-" the Magic Battlefield, it's time limit expired, shattered as showed that around the factory was a ring of a burning inferno in winter. "Do you stand a chance against him~? Hee-hee~"

"What's happening?" Allen called trying to exit the ring but unable to. The flames dissipated as Allen saw the boy choking the life out of Lenalee as Lavi remained unconscious from fighting on the metled now charred ground.

"C'mon Walker," he taunted. "Or do you want me to kill her?" He tightened his grip on Lenalee's throat as she tried futilely to take his hands away. Allen reacted fast and went after him. The boy threw her away and protected himself from Crown Clown. "Whoa."

"Loki~ You got here in the nick of time," Babaa said joyfully.

"Now," Loki said avoiding Allen's attack and stepping on his head he pushed down with force-"Sit"- and Allen went face down as if gravity had increased out of nowhere. "Wh-" but Loki placed a burning pipe through his ribs as he yelled.

"Allen!"

"What to do?" Babaa asked chanting. "Fight against us and take too long and let them all die? Or just give up tell us where the key is and we'll leave immediately."

Eve groaned and held her gun tightly but her aim lowered as she pointed to a pile of rubble where Kammy came out holding something in her paws. Kammy gave the small, smoldering rag doll to Eve as she threw it over to Loki who disengaged the pipe off Allen catching the doll. "Thank you," he smirked.

"Leave," she said suddenly the blast dissentigrated Babaa's body in an instant, "And don't thank me."

"Ooh~" Babaa said reappearing beside Loki, floating. "Scary. It hurt a little. Thanks Barathrum. Ciao~" she said touching Loki as they both disappeared together. Before Allen fell uncoscious he swore he saw Eve place the gun to her own head and pull the trigger.


	6. Chapter 6

_"How much longer are you going to sleep?"_

Eve found herself as a little girl, legs crossed, sitting in front of a faceless boy. He had spiky, black hair and although his face was not visible to her she could recognize that 'T' necklace anywhere. It was the opposite of hers except for color.

"Blue..."A huge cocky grin appeared upon his face as he placed his palm out to her, hand straight bend at the wrist. She placed her hand upon his and felt the same warmth she yearned to receive and her lust for that blood disappeared as if nothing.

_"I've seen you 209 times now, Fairy. Why now?"_

_"Nobody needs to know? Or is it that you don't want to remember?"_

"No!" Allen awoke abruptly from his sleep. He was in a bed, familiar. The Order? He felt dizzy but he remembered everything. It all came back. The factory, Babaa, Boo and that boy Loki. And Eve... He stood up and left the hospital wing not caring for the head nurse. As he walked the hallways he saw Lenalee and Lavi.

"Guys!"

"You're awake," Lenalee said.

"You sleep like a log," Lavi added.

"What? Wait, how long was I asleep?" Allen asked.

"A week," Lenalee added.

"A we-"

"Are you crazy!" they all turned the corner finding the source of the ruckus. It was coming from Eve's room. The door was wide open as Kanda leaned against the opposite wall.

"Kanda?"

"What's going on, Yu?" Lavi asked him.

He nodded the room's way, "Listen."

"What the hell were you even thinking about!" It was Kotori who was yelling and at Eve who was sitting at the edge of her bed. Left arm sligned and head bandaged up. Cherry was sitting on a shair on the corner with her knees to her head not wanting to be part of the argument. "Do you have any idea how worried Cherry and I were? Did you not think we already knew about your business with Edelle?"

"Kotori, I-"

"Don't even try to make up excuses. There are no excuses for what you did! You were forced to fight using Illuminie! How do you justify that? Your left shoulder broke! If you've had used it a third time your whole fucking arm would've shattered!" Kanda flinched at hearing Kotori cuss since she hadn't done that since he'd met her. "You seriously think we're so fucking weak that we can't take of ourselves. What the hell happened to the 'we take care of you, not the other way around' crap!"

"It wasn't something I wanted to talk about with you," Eve retorted.

She scoffed, "I'm starting to think if you even trust us. You know what-" she pulled her red ribbon from her hand letting her long hair loose to her knees. Kotori then threw the ribbon at Eve and said. "Enough is enough. I'm done with you." She stormed out of her room leaving.

Cherry stood up to leave. "You gonna shout at me too?"

Cherry only turned with a glare, "She's right. We're not children anymore Evangelique. We can take care of ourselves. The problem with you is that you still don't want to accept that." She left going the opposite way than Kotori.

Kanda quickly left the way Kotori went without a word. "We should leave her," Lenalee said pushing Allen away. "C'mon Lavi."

"I have something to do for Bookman," he opinted with him thumb at the way Cherry went, towards the library. "I'll see you later." Lenalee nodded shoving Allen away. But instead of going on ahead, he went inside Eve's room as she was standing up facing her mirror. "You okay?"

"If you're here to lecture, leave," she remarked taking off her head bandage. "As you saw, I had enough with Kotori and Cherry."

"You know they're right," Lavi said as she took off her sling and laid down facing the opposite from the door not answering. Lavi sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed turning to her. "They have a point wanting to know those things. They're your sisters-"

"They aren't my sisters okay!" she yelled at him.

"So I was right, you were adopted by Rasmusen," Lavi connected the dots.

"That's why I didn't want to tell them about my affairs. I didn't want to have them there always bothering me! If I told them they would only be a bigger burden for me!" she shouted.

Lavi was then serious. He knew this kind of answer. She wasn't telling the truth. He was doing the same thing he did numerous times. She was trying to detach herself from people. As a Bookman he had practice doing this and did it well. But she, "You're lying."

"I'm not!" she shouted. He stood up and rounded the bed as he knelt in front of her and noticed her tears falling from her eyes. "Then why are you crying?"

She sat up grabbed his shirt and slapped him right across the face with her left hand. "What do you want me to say! The turth? Fine! I care about them! That's why I didn't tell them crap about Edelle or any of those others! I didn't want to get them involved! I don't want to..." she let go of him as she sat there and started crying harder at the realization. "I don't want to lose the only thing I have left in this world!"

Then Lavi did something not even he understood. Why? He stood up and sat next to her and gently brought her head upon his shoulders as she bawled out compeltely. 'Don't ever get attach', Bookman had always told him that. But something made her different. What? Why?  
>~<p>

"Do you mind?" Kanda asked Kotori sitting down next to her.

Kotori was on sitting upon a low ledge in front of a pawn near a forest. She looked up at him and simply shrugged her shoulders saying, "Whatever." She went back to skipping pebbles that she manifested through Grandmother Gaia. Then there was an awkward silence before she broke it, "If Lee or Walker sent you just leave. I want to be alone."

"Neither did," he said.

"Then why the fuck are you here?" she cussed again. "It's not like you care. You're short tempered. You don't like other people. You just hate other people more like it. Did I miss anything?"

"Don't think so," Kanda admitted.

"Then why are you here?" Kotori asked again.

"I just wanted to know why you would yell at you sis-"

"She's not my sister!" she shouted at him stopping briefly before going on.

"You're adopted," Kanda understood then.

"Duh, captain obvious. Not like we look that much alike anyways," Kotori retorted. This new mouth of hers was getting even more irritating than Eve's. "You didn't answer my question. Why the hell are you here?"

"I was just wondering how such a queit girl like you would yell at someone like that."

"See," she stopped completely and turned to glared at him. "That's the problem you all of you. You take looks not ideas. You prejudge people. The only reason why I even acted this way was to calm the fights between Roman and Eve. Not like I need to act like that anymore with miss I-can-take-care-of-myself. It's all of you people that prejudge me like that. You, Lee, Walker, and Bookman's apprentice."

"Don't put me in that same place as that beansprout," Kanda reproach.

"Well gues what, I just did."

"I'm getting tired and annoyed of that bad mouth of yours."

"If I'm so annoyed then just leave."

"You little brat."

"You long hair gay guy," she called back taking off his hair tie.

"You bitch!" he shouted grabbing her shout.

"You bastard!" she shouted standing up and shoving him off the ledge into the water with a splash, soaking him. "I win~" she chanted turning to leave when- "Aw!"- Kanda reaches and pulls her hair pulling her down and landing with a second splash.

"Think again," Kanda said.

"Thanks. Thanks a lot," she called. "What the hell did you do that for?"

"You're really asking?" he called angry. "Why the hell are you venting your anger at me anyways! What made you so freaking mad at your sister!"

"Because she thinks we're still children at the playground!" she shouted punching him over and over, hard. "She thinks we're so fucking weak! We're not! We're all the same just as we've always been! We can take care of ourselves! I can take care of myself..." she was sobbing and slowly raised a fist

"D-Don't!" But it was too late she'd shoved him down and was punching him hard on the chest as she shouted.

"She's a stupid bitch! An asshole! A heartless bastard! She promised me that I would never have to retrn to the violent times to survive! She broke it! She..." Kotori then began crying on him. "She lied!" He sighed and sat up sitting her up.

"Then talk to her," he said simply. "If you don't tell her then how's she suppose to know if she's as stubborn as you say."

"Tell...her?" Kotori called sobbing a bit and looking up at him. "You're right!" She punched the water with both fists splashing them even more.

"Great," Kanda said sullen.

"Oops, sorry," she chuckled. She stood up, ben before him, and stretched out her hand to him. "Come on. We should get dried up or we'll get sick."  
>~<p>

"Shouldn't you wait a little longer before going out again?" Lavi said his voice in a muffle, covering his face with a pillow as she had told him. She was changing into more comfortable clothes than that stupid hospital gown.

"I need to check something with Bookman," she said putting black shorts and her simple white blouse on. She looked herself in the mirror noticing her hair had grown almost to Kotori's length at that. She got a small knife from her bed stand.

"Are you done?" Lavi said taking a small peek. Then he noticed she was holding her hair with her right hand and a knife under it on the other. "Hey!" And she pulled it up, the sharpness of the blade cutting right through her hair as she let go and the remaining hair fell to the floor. She looked at herself then. It gotten shorter, just above her shoulders. "You know what," he smiled leaning on her shoulder glancing at her reflection. "Cut that in a style and it'll look perfect for you."

"I'm still holding the knife you know," Eve said coming back to herself. Then a knock brought them back as Cherry entered the room.

"Hey, I wanted to- Oh, sorry. Didn't know you two were like that," Cherry chuckled as if nothing had happened.

"With him? Not even. Ever," Eve said bluntly showing Lavi she was better.

"Oh then, someone's here to see you," Cherry said opening the door all the way.

"Yu?" Lavi said confused. "Kotori." Eve turned to see Kotori with Kanda both changed from their little incident.

There was silence as Eve turned to Lavi who'd told her to simply be truthful to her sisters from now on. "Kotori, I-"

"Let me talk first, cause I really have a lot to say," Kotori said taking a big breath and saying it all in a blast. "You're so stupid! Cherry and I aren't kids anymore. We've grown up. We can fight now. So just-" she took another breath finishing her thought. "Let's us fight this, whatever it is, together."

Eve was shocked but she only smiled, "I'm sorry Yue."

"What did I tell you about calling me that," Kotori chuckled through her tears. "I'm not their daughter anymore. I'm a Rasmusen now. I'm Kotori." She walked over to the bed stand were the red ribbon she had left stayed their neatly folded. She picked it up and tied it around her neck loosely leaving a small bow to her left. "I'm still part of this family. No matter how stubborn or airheaded they are."

"Yeah, thanks," Eve smiled blinking her tears away.

Cherry smiled as she saw her sisters come back together. That's when Kameron came and landed on her head. "What's up Kammy?" Then Kammy gave her the information through a hologram.

"What is it, Cherry?" Eve asked.

"It's from Cardigan," Cherry said reading through it intently. Then her eyes widened, "The catacumbs. Edelle's gang ambushed Roman, Cardigan, and the whole branch."


	7. Chapter 7

Komui having heard the news as well about the ambush. He ordered for all the survivors to be brought back to headquarters through the Ark. Some didn't make it.

"Cardigan!" the three darted into the hospital wing to their mentor. "What happened?" "How did it happened?" "Is everyone alright?" Cardigan raised a hand to shut the three up. They all stayed quiet.

"I have no idea how," Cardigan said badly wounded but not in danger. "But girls, there's something you need to know..."

"The underground branches were attacked viciously and destroyed in the process," Bookman explained to Lavi, Allen, Lenalee, and Kanda who had gone there to get some information nobody else would give them. "It is unknown to this moment how they managed to get in however they were there searching for something."

"For something?" Lavi asked serious.

"We don't know what it is or if they took it. The one who's now in charge, Miss Cardigan Galleon, should know more about the case. However all the survivors of the branch are currently preoccupied saying their farewells to the ones that perished in that battle."

"Then Eve and the rest-" Allen said but before he could finish Lavi had left as the three followed closely behind him. From the second floor hallway the four saw the numerous coffins of the dead. Bookman had told them the truth, apparently more than half the branch had died in battle. And were on the main one there laid inside the coffin the body of the late supervisor, Roman Rasmusen. Kotori was weeping on his coffin as so was Cherry as she stood there looking at it. Cardigan only grimace and Eve only stood there oblivious with a blank stare in her face.

"Roman Rasmusen, died protecting the fifteen survivors out of the two hundred killed."

They all turned to see Komui, "Komui!" "Brother!"

"Why did the catacumbs get attacked?" Lavi tried asking him.

"It was the Noah's. Apparently Road and Tyki attacked the catacumbs with the three you described from your mission plus one other," Komui explained. "Cardigan was sane enough to come tell me before the funeral."

"The keys," Kanda said. "If those we fought back then attacked the catacumbs then it's more than likely that that was what they were looking for."

"I agree with Kanda," Lenalee said serious. "We should tell them."

"But not now, Lenalee," Komui said stopping her by her shoulder. "Let them say their farewells."  
>~<p>

A red golem with grayish wings and tail flew up to Eve as she and Cardigan looked up. "That's Roman's," Cardigan said. "Pheonix."

"Pheonix?" Eve repeated then Pheonix hearing her voice beeped twice as a voice called 'Voice recognition: positive'.

"Voice recognition?" Cardigan said.

"My voice?" Eve said confused.

Pheonix conitnued, "I have one message for Evangelique Barathrum Rasmusen. From Roman Galileo Rasmusen. Will you accept it?"

"A message from Roman," Cardigan said.

"Before he died," Eve said taking the golem by the tail and storming out of the room. She reached the same balcony, it was already night and everyone was busy with the funeral. "I am Evangelique Barathrum Rasmusen. I accept your message."

"Confirmed," Pheonix agreed. "Last message recordered, yesterday at 11:03 pm." Then the voice message began.

"Evangelique," Roman sounded agitated as if he had run a mile. In the background she could hear many sounds. Explosions aside from screams and whatnot. "If this reaches you please pay the utmost attention. I've figure out why it is that your body and those of your sisters are acting out of the norm. The immortal soul within you all is reacting to a common source. The source should be quite close to cause such change in such short time. The source was of that man you told me cursed you and Azule with an immortal life."

Her eyes widened in the reminder, "Neah."

The recording continued unable to answer her, "For the moment try to restrain your urges for those connected to him will be the most savage of all. Then it is the thing about Edelle wanting to surface Synchronicity." Eve grimace, she knew that girl was behind the Earl seaking out the keys. "You have to open its doors again."

"What?" she shouted shocked. "Are you fucking insane!"

It continued, "I know what you will say to this and believe me when I say that I would want to destroy does keys as much as you. The tragedy that happened to Synchronitcity and the Synchros is something that should never happen again in the world we know now. However deep inside one of the chambers of Shadowland, there is a power, an immense power that can result in the tragedy repeating itself over, this time not to just one city but to the whole world."

"Then why the hell-"

"You have to find it and destroy it."

"Destroy it?" Eve said in disbelief.

"You are one of the three from the six that can destroy that power. The power that gave Shadowland it's name:-"

**"Obscurity,"**Eve said along with Roman's recorded voice.

"From the six, only _Granfather, Daughter, _andyou- _Mother _and _Son_- hold the same magnitude of powers. Although the same, those three magnitudes are chained down by what that man did. If you can own the powers _Mother _and _Son_ have into your own body those chains might be broken for the use to destroy Obscurity. Please heed my order to you and open Synchronocity's doors again. Find your way to the last chamber of Shadowland. And with the final magnitude of _Mother _and _Son_ destroy Obscurity and do not let that tradegy repeat itself." Then he exhaled heavily as he said, "One last thing. Do not, I repeat to you, **do not **attempt to destroy the personifications of _Eden _or _Adam_. The three of you cannot clash in a battle and win without absorbing eachother's immortality. If that happened, if either of them obtain your Immortality or all the Immortality of _Father _and _Grandmother _combined, then there will be no possibility that Obscurity will be destroyed. A corrupted heart foretells chaos; a heart full of vanity over it's endless life will cause madness to Obscutiry making it go haywire. Do not attempt to kill them Evangelique."

"You useless kid," Eve sneered. "I can't unleash _Son_'s weapon. I have never been able to. I have learned to control and posses _Mother_ to her ultimate form: Illuminie. But _Son..."_

"I have faith in you Eve," Roman said in the gentle voice of a father making her flinch in surprise and shock, her eyes widening. "I believe in you, my daughter. You can stop Edelle. You can unleash your ultimate form of your two Innocence combine. And I bet you can do all this without breaking a sweat." He chuckled. How could he be laughing when mayhem was running about in the catacumbs then. "Go on forth without me. I'll leave Phoenix to your care. You've taken good care of Kameron and I'm sure you'll know how to fix Pheonix if he wrecks himself like always." He was crying. And by then so was Eve. It was as if he knew he wouldn't live to see her. "I'm glad I could call you my mother and daughter, Evangelique. I'm glad I had that last drink with you." Then a crash as the recordered was muffled to the ruckus.

"Roman!" she shouted knowing she couldn't be heard. She heard his yells and screams, then a great thump that made Eve jump back as if she had been there and then silence. Afterwards footsteps slowly came towards the recorder.

"How sad Roman,"-Edelle-"I really hoped you would give a better fight. To bad sis isn't here to see this." She heard a plung of a weapon and Roman yelping and choking on a thick liquid. Blood. "Bye~bye, Roman Rasmusen. Your life will become the source for mine to continue."

"End of recording," Phoenix's monotone voice said. "Will you like to repeat the message?"

"Just," she hesitated. "That last part, Phoenix." Pheonix didn't need directions to know which part.

_"I have faith in you Eve."  
>~<em>

"Onee-sama!" "Nee-chan!" the two caled as they saw Eve appraoching them in the hallway, head low.

"You missed the funeral," Kotori said a little saddened.

"Where were you?" Cherry asked.

"We need to talk," Eve said simply but catching their attention. "It's time for you two to know what really hapened to my hometown. And what we must do for the world not to end the same way."  
>~<p>

"Where the heck could they have run on to?" Lavi called pissed that neither him, Allen, nor Lenalee could find the Rasmusen sisters.

"Calm down Lavi," Lenalee said trying to at least put him down a bit. "They couldn't have gone far. Not with half the catacumb branch in such state."

"She's right," Allen agreed. "It wouldn't be like Eve to run away from something like this."

"And since when are you such an expert on how she is or isn't, huh?" Lavi said sounding a bit mad but not noticing.

"We're similar," Allen answered. "She told me so herself."

"Feel special dontcha, Walker," Lavi said even more angry.

"What's your problem?" Allen said starting to get angry as well.

"You guys, stop it!" Lenalee exclaimed standing in the middle of them. "Seriously what's gotten into you two."

Lavi stood in front of Eve's door and raised his fist to knock, "Blame Walker, he's the one tha-"

"We should tell Komui to tell to truth," Kotori's murmured was barely audiable throught the close door yet still understnable.

"Do you think humans would care to help us, outcasts?" Cherry shrieked a tiny whisper.

"That's not our problem," Eve corrected the two. "If they do not fight to accomplish what we wish for, then they die. On the other hand, so would the Millenium Earl and the Noahs."

"You said you knew the _him_," Kotori said lowly. "Was he the one who..."

"Yes," Eve said slowly. "He was the one who placed this Immortality inside my body and soul. If it weren't for him, I would've died two hundred years ago when Synchronicity sunk into it's doom." She scoffed, "I don't know what I should feel. Grateful to him for letting me live or revengeful for letting him take away the only thing that made me human."

"You hate him don't you," Kotori said not really placing a question out there.

"You could say I do," Eve said. "But then again I was the one who asked for it. It's a one sided hatred."

"Then let's find these keys, sneak into Shadowland, and destroy that Obscurity thingy. Let's go!" Cherry cried pushing the door wide open with a kick sending Lavi flying out. "Uh-oh."

"Guys," Kotori said trying to play pretend. "Sorry about that. Cherry's been reading a lot of books. She's not very good about containing her enthusiasm about somethings." She grabbed Cherry by the shulders as she chuckled nervously, "I have something to do in the library. I'll be taking her with me, adieu," she said leaving pulling Cherry away with her.

"I need to go pay my respects to Roman, ciao," Eve said nonchalantly leaving the three going down the way they came.

"Did you two hear what I heard?" Lavi asked Lenalee and Allen.

"I still say it's their business," Lenalee said naively trying not to cause a ruckus about eavesdropping a second time.

"You heard Eve," Allen said seriously. "If we do not 'fight' then we die. It has something to do with us. It is our business now Lenalee." He turned to her and saw she couldn't argue. "Plus it seems Komui is hiding something from us as well."

"Brother, would ne-"

"You don't know that Lenalee," Lavi said interrupted her guard of her brother. "Even I know Bookman is hiding something about those three he doesn't want us to know. I wonder what Komui himself knows that he's not telling us."

"Let's find out," Allen said determined to find out how this battle they didn't even know about would endanger their lives.  
>~<p>

Eve stood there before the grave of Roman. "You old kid. You are leaving this task the worst capable hands ever," she chuckled.

"You seriously believe that Barathrum?" Eve twirled slowly knowing who it was.

"Long time no see, Bookman," Eve said smiling warmly.

"Don't smile at me, you brat. You keep changing so many times I forget how you really looked like," Bookman said coming closer to the grave and paying his respects.

"What are you talking about?" she said extending her arms still with that little smile. "This is how I've always looked."

"Age wise," Bookman said sitting down on the nearest rock bench. "The first time I saw you, you were the little kid from Shadowland. Then the last time was when you had the body of a young twenty-one year old woman. Now you come back with the healthy body of a sixteen-year-old." He scoffed with no humor whatsoever, "Are you trying to break this old man's self-esteem?"

"Not at all, Bookman," she said truthfully. Then she turned to Roman's grave, "I've been wanting to ask you something."

"Whatever it is, I will need a payment from you," Bookman said straight forth.

"Payment? You've never charged me before."

"Before I knew you would be no harm to me or my clan whatsoever," Bookman admitted. "But since that day that you changed that kid, I've regretted telling you all that information for free."

"Regret is a big word," she said nervously, trying to lighten the mood of past mistakes. "Why don't we call it a misunderstanding. It sounds much better."

"What is this question you wish to know, excatly," Bookman said glancing at her as she turned to him.

"Where are the last four keys to Sinchronicity," she said straight away.

"You're asking way too much of me, woman," Bookman answered. "Those keys were hidden for a reason."

"Doesn't mean that you don't know," Eve said glancing at him. "You record everything you see. You knew the four ancestors holders of the Innocence I now hold along with the others. I'm sure you know where."

Bookman closed his eyes in thought. Then he opened his eyes glancing up at her, "I'll tell you of three I know about. They make a circle so it'll be easier to find them after the fourth one."

"Thank yo-"

"But," he interuppted. "In exchange," he rose and walked past her before saying. "Stay away from Lavi. You have already influenced the boy out of his path since you met him that time ten years ago. It's a burden that you're repeating yourself again this era." And he left without another word.  
>~<p>

"Is this really what you want to do?" Mousy asked Edelle to make sure of the order.

"Do it," Edelle confirmed. "Awaken the locked memories of those connected to the six descendents. Do it and let the roles begin their play as planned.  
>~<p>

"Immortality..." Lavi laid back, hands behind his head, facing the cieling of his and Bookman's room. Bookman was taking way too long so he was going to take the whole bed to himself. _It's a curse...seeing as everyone dies before you as you live on. _"Could she have meant...herself?" That's when sleep suddenly drew upon his eyes. Weird, he thught as he drifted to sleep, I don't remember being this tired. And just like that he dozed off into a deep sleep as memories that he had forgotten came back through his dreams.

Little Deak ran through the forest with branches wrapped around with his arms. The little form of the nine-year-old ran tired during the night after the winter snow. "Oh no," he called. "Bookman is gonna kill me if I get the firewood late." He suddenly heard a moan that stopped him in his tracks. It was of hurt. He turned towards it out of pure curiosity. There leaning against a thick, dying oak tree was a woman dressed in garments as white as the snow that he almost missed her had it not been for her long, dark hair as dark as the night itself. But then he noticed why the woman was moaning in pain. On the pure white gown she wore there, on her left forearm, was a stain of bright scarlet; a wound.

He slowly appraoched the lady from the side, his footsteps silenced by the snow that had fallen during the day. He tried getting glances of his face but couldn't due to the strands of her hair obscuring her face. However he noticed two things. Her skin was pale almost as white as the snow and her garments and she was breathing heavily too.

"Um, miss?" All in one split of a second little Deak found a gun aiming straight at his face. In shock he fell backwards dropping the branches. The woman had, in a millisecond, drawn a silver magnum and pointed it at the boy's face.

"Huh?" she said with a soothing voice at last glancing at the boy and putting the gun down as it disappeared in thin air. "I apologize. I pressumed my persuers had found me. Leave boy, before you too get implicated in this wreckage."

"You're wounded, aren't you Miss?" Deak asked with a tinge of curiosity still in his voice. "Here I can help you." Deak without a scent of fear appraoched the wounded woman. She only watched with genuine interest. Deak tied around her bleeding wound a black cloth tight enough to stop the bleeding. He stood up and glanced at her wound first, proud of his job. "There. I don't have medicine or anything but I think the bleeding stopped." He then glanced into the woman who was looking at him and for the first time saw her eyes. His own widened, mesmerized by her own, and he stared for the longest of time capturing, for some reason, that image in his mind. Her eyes were the color of her wound, a bright scarlet red and her skin, not as pale anymore, he noticed had an eerie shine to it, as if the moonlight had been stored in there and was shinning brightly now. Odd, yes, yet beautiful to the young one's eyes. "I-I shouldn't stare. Sorry."

"Thank you, boy," she said giving him a warm smile and standing up. She's tall, he thought first. "I appreciate very much what you have done for me. What is it that you are known by?"

"Huh?" he said a bit confused and tilting his head a bit.

She chuckled, the sound melodious to Deak's ears. "What is your name, young boy?"

"Oh, right now, I'm Deak," he answered innocently.

"I see," she said and thought a bit. "However you do not appear to be a 'Deak' in my eyes."

"What do you mean Miss?"

"You saw a stranger wounded and came to my aide. You were aimed with a gun as I was about to pull the trigger, had I not glanced I would have shot you. And more even you didn't escape but instead helped me. To me you seem to be a little, brave lion." She explained kneeling before him and cupping his cheek gently and stared through his eyes before smiling and nodding, "Yes, I would say 'Lavi' would suit you best."

"La...vi?" Deak pronounced.

"Deak!" Deak turned to face Bookman some feet away.

"Bookman!" Deak called alarmed as he ran to his side. Bookman then hit him on the head hard. "What the heck!"

"That's what you get for being late with that firewood," Bookman said as he turned to look at the woman who was standing back up and glanced back at Bookman. Then he spoke coldly, "It's been awhile Barathrum."

"It is nice to see you too, Bookman, old friend," she said bowing a bit in respect.

"Old friend?" he repeated in disbelief before scoffing. "I am no friend of yours Barathrum. Make that clear."

"Of course," she said smiling. She glanced over to Deak before going back to him, "Took in a new apprentice I see since last I saw you."

"That's none of your business," he answered.

"By the way," she continued. "You're little apprentice aided me when I was I need. I dare say that I am in debt to you both."

"If so then repay by leaving us be," Bookman said bluntly and harshly. "I do not want us to me mixed up in your insane affairs."

"Of course you do not," she said smiling sullenly. "Then I'll take my leave," she said turning to leave.

"What the heck, you Old Panda! Wait, Miss!" Deak called going over to her and pulling upon her sleeve making her turn to him. "Are you going to be okay? That wound-"

"It's nothing serious, young cub," she said smiling warmly at him again. "You should leave with Bookman already." She grabbed his hand making him let go as she left, light footprints going behind her. "Miss!" he yelled deciding to ask but she was already a bit too far to call her back. "What's your name?"

He could've sworn he saw her smile again as she called back, "Evangelique Barathrum, young cub."

"By Miss Evangelique!" he exclaimed waving his arm as she kept smiling and disappeared into the whiteness. Then he felt a heavy blow on the back of his head from Bookman. "What the heck?"

"You foolish boy, stop wasting time and let's go," he said leaving Deak behind. Deak ran up to Bookman and thought for a second before saying.

"Bookman?"

"What is it?"

"I want my name to be Lavi..."


	8. Chapter 8

"To where now?" Allen asked as the four stod in Komui's office called for a new mission.

"North," he said and got a chill. "Way up north."

"Another Innocence?" Lenalee said trying not to sound so suspicious to him.

He shook his head, "A key."

"Why?" Lavi said a bit moody because of lack of sleep. "Our job is to search for the Innocence not play hide and seek with some keys."

"Lavi's right Komui," Allen agreed.

"It's spites me to agree but beansprout's right," Kanda said.

"Those keys-" Eve said coming into the room followed by the two sisters. "Are items that are crucial to a power that the Earl wants to get. We were left with the task to destroy that power and you are here to help us."

"We're not bodyguards," Kanda called. "We're Exorcists."

"Which is exactly why we need your help," Kotori answered him seriously.

"She has studied every possibility as for who attacked each of us," Eve explained. "With my prior experiences we might find out why they attempt to kill you all and not just us."

"Babaa Hollow and Boo," Kotori began. "They're the Noisy. Babaa, according to what Eve told me, has the power to leave her solid form to become a gas making her untouchable. Then there is the problem of her being able to create images that aren't there."

"Explains the amount of Akuma that we saw at the factory," Allen understood then.

"Out of those hundreds, probably only no more than six were real," Eve concluded.

"Then there's Mousy who represents Echoes. Mousy has powers over dreams and the Dream world in general. Explaining how he sent me back to my childhood nightmares," Kotori took a deep breath and continued. "The last one is a new one according to Eve. The name Loki has never been recorded before in the list of Eden's Faces. For now we decided to call him the Other. Loki seems to have a powerful connection with fire."

"Then he did puncture me with the pipe while it was burning," Allen said touching his ribs.

"Loki isn't just another extention of Eden's Face. Echo and Noisy are because they represent the things that banned Eden from interacting with humans. There's just something about him that feels wrong," Eve concluded Kotori's explanation. "Then there is the matter of the personificationg of Eden. A girl by the name of Edelle was taken in and given that role. She despises the Black Order because of the event that happened nine years ago that took away her little sister's life. Which is to explain why she's with the Earl and is helping him find the keys to that power."

Kotori suddenly started coughing violently as Cherry took care of her. Kotori waved her hand away to Cherry and smiled, "For now what matters is that we find those keys and take the ones Edelle has to resurfcae and open the lost land."

"I disagree," Lavi intervened.

"So do I," Kanda added. "Destroying such powerful source of strength that could end this war faster than we anticipated would be the best."

"Even if it cost the lives of the innocent?" Kotori said.

"The innocent?" Lenalee asked confused a bit.

"That power was not created with the intention to be used as a weapon. It was once a great lifesource to those people. But when the three who destroyed that land obtained the power it turned into a weapon that feeds upon the innocent souls of human beings. Saints or sinners," Eve explained looking at that last part at Allen. "It doesn't matter to Edelle who dies as long as the one who took away her 'heart' dies with them. Believe I know how she feels, however it is not my wish for innocent bystanders to suffer for my past mistakes. So what, are you going to help or just stand behind and let us three deal with the problem."

"Like hell I'm doing it," Lavi answered straight forth.

"I can't see why should we," Kanda agreed.

"Sadly, I agree with them," Allen said but Lenalee said nothing.

"Tch, fine. Then we'll do it by ourselves!" Eve said taking Kotori away by the hand as Cherry followed them.

"You guys," Komui said.

"Don't even defend them Komui," Lavi said reallyed pissed by then. "They're using us."

"They won't be going anywhere. By themselves I doubt they can do anything," Kanda said starting to leave.

"I'm leaving," Allen just said as the two left as well.

Lenalee was the only one that stayed behind. "Really, those three can't see the seriousness of the situation."

Lenalee turned to Komui, "Brother, what is it that you are not telling us?"

"What do you mean?" he said lovingly.

Then she punched her fists at his desk in annoyance for once. "Those three are tearing everyone here apart! I've heard them refer to us as 'humans' and themselves as 'outcasts'. Who are they Brother? No, what are they. Tell me the truth..."

Komui sighed glancing away for a bit. He knew exactly that he should've told them beforehand but Roman's request to stay quiet for the girl's sake. _'I want them to fell normal and make friends that will stay with them even after you tell them their truth.' _He turned to her, "Lenalee, do you considered them your friends?"

"Huh?" she called from the sudden change of subject. "I do but not like this. Not with so many secrets tearing every single on of us so much apart."

He sighed in relief, I've accomplished my promise to you, Roman. "Then I'll tell you their truth. Something that stretches them out into being 'not human' and outcasts as they referred to themselves as. To them this world has become the source of hardship that they lived with for over the span of their very long life; for over two hundred years now it would seem."

"T-Two...hundred...?"Lenalee said shocked.  
>~<p>

"Is this it?" Loki asked Edelle as they floated in the space created by Noisy's and Echo's powers united. Loki's appearance had changed according to Edelle's wanting for him resembling his former human appearnace. His hair with still golden and spiked his ears being the only thing pierced this time. The last thing that changed were his eyes that weren't an empty void but a dark sapphire blue.

"Yep~" Edelle came over to Loki and embraced him by the shoulders. She had changed her wardrobe. Instead of her summer dress she wore now a short, black dress with no sleeves but she still wore black sleeves with white cuffs that went in hiding half her palm. She wore a black skirt with white trimmings. And also wore black stilleto boots. Her hair held with the same bow.

"The Earl said nothing about attacking the Order," Babaa commented. "But then again we're under Master Edelle's orders," Boo added as both grinned mischievously.

"Should we began the attack?" Mousy asked yawning again.

"Wait," Loki and Edelle turned to see Road appear in their space.

"Road!" Edelle said cheerfully. "Want to join us?"

"What is it you're planning to do exactly?" she asked monotonely.

"Master Edelle wishes to return the Immortality that have scattered from Eden to their rightful owner," Loki answered.

"You want to kill them?"

"Don't be silly, Road," Edelle chuckled nonchalantly. "Most probably the Immortality inside their bodies have already started to reject their bodies and souls. I'm simply getting the job done faster."

"What about Evangelique?" Road asked. "By the divine law laid by the Synchros only an Obscured Immortal can destroy one of her kind."

"My dear Evangelique is one of the two last descendant of the Illuminie Immortals. And I am the last of the Obscured Immortals as well. You can call it fate that we once played along and now are destined to kill each other," Edelle grinned. "All I want is the power that was once mine to be returned to me, to _Daughter, _and most of all to Eden. _Grandmother _and _Father _defied divine law by entering bodies of mere human beings, now they must return to their birthplace."  
>~<p>

Allen sat there trying to eat unable to take many things out of his mine.

"Eat something man, you're starting to worry me," Lavi said finishing his food already.

"I can't stop thinking we did something wrong," Allen put out to him.

"We didn't. Those three used us, and to be frank I will not be the fool to fall again," Lavi called.

"Yeah but-"

"Allen! Lavi!" Lenalee had come running her way to them, with a panicked and shocked face.

"Lenalee?" Allen murmured but before she could reach them a great tremor shook the whole base. "What the-"

"**Intruders. Intruders. All Exorcists report to the third floor grounds."**

"Intruders?" Lavi said confused.

"Let's go," Allen called to both and met Kanda half way there.

"Do you know what's going on?" Allen called beyond the noise that was coming from people running and others fighting.

"None but-" another earthquake hit the ground, "It can't be any good."

They arrived at the third floor foyer and see as level 3 and a trio of level 4 Akumas entered the premises through a black portal. Outside were Mousy and Babaa standing at either side as Loki came out offering his hand to his Master Edelle who was smilling at the destruction.

"Wonderful~chaos," she chimed in as Mousy's and Babaa's shield of Noise and Echo protected her and Loki from the futile attack of the Exorcists alreay in the scene. She made her voice louder, "Now Akuma! Bring me _Grandmother _and _Father._Kill and kill to lure them here!" And they followed her orders as they started killing Finders and scientists at random. The Exorcists then began trying to safe as many lives and destroy as many Akuma as they could. "Dear Loki, would you mind not interfering what ever you see?"

"I would never unless you order me to," Loki said solemnly.

"Just making sure," she smiled. She overlooked to where Allen was, "Oh~ho, Nea? Is that you? No, but he sure looks alike. Could it be that old man, Mana did something with Nea Walker's soul, I wonder?"

"Would you like me to confirm your suspicions?" Loki suggested.

"If you would just play with him do not kill him alright, darling?" she asked purring at him and caressing his cheek.

"As you order, Master Edelle," he bowed before her and disappeared into the battlefield in front of Allen.

"You again?" Allen called a bit tired but noticing the difference in his appearance.

"I will be your opponent from now on Allen Walker," he said extracting a black sword from his body. Getting it out, it suddenly caught fire. "Master Edelle wishes to keep the 14th away from peril until she derives enough power to kill you herself."

"The 14th again?" Allen said charging up at him with Crown Clowned.

It was getting harder for them to fight by the minute. Exorcists were getting overthrown by the mix of pwoerful levels of Akuma and soon enough Lenalee, Kanda, and Lavi stood against the hoard of Akuma.

"Could this be one of Babaa's tricks?" Lenalee asked shocked and overwhlemed by the numbers.

"Doubt it if they took out most of the place," Lavi called.

"The others are safe for now," Kanda added. "We have to finish them so that casualities don't occur."

"But..." Lenalee was feeling weak, even with her Crystal-form Black Boots. "They're too many."

**"Edelle!" **they noticed how immediately the Akuma stopped and one by one all moved aside to let Edelle see who had called to her.

"Ah, Evangelique decided to show up at last?" Edelle mocked her.

"You-" she gritted her teeth at the blood shed that had gone on. "What do you want?"

"I want for the unworthy ones to perish and get what was rightfully mine return to Eden," Edelle called walking away from the field that protected her alone. "Where are they?"

"You're fight's with me!" she yelled as she had gotten Ying and Yang out previously and shot both at Edelle. But Edelle with a simply wave of her hand evoked a black curtain that blocked the shots of power and from the ground the same black matter obliged her to make a jump and run for it as she shot when she could getting avoided.

"Eve!" Lavi yelled taking a step forth to her but stopped when Mousy stepped in front of him.

"Sorry, but this family reunion mustn't be interrupted," he said yawning.

"Get out of my way!" he called raising his hammer and stomping right on Mousy's body. "That's what you get."

"You're weaker than Mousy," Lavi turned to get stabbed by Mousy's hair that had solidified into a spear as he detached and jumped feet away. "You're useless to Master Edelle's plans. You are scheduled, then, to termination."

"You two wanna play with us~?" Babaa called stepping in front of Lenalee and Kanda. Her hair, Boo, seperated from her as in their place were two versions of Babaa. One with blue hair another with red. "Play with us, yeah~!" they chimed together as they attack both.

"Guys!" Allen called but was interrupted by Loki's blade as he pushed Allen further away.

"Taking your view away from me is unfrogivable in battle, Allen Walker," Loki said strking the blade in midair to let Allen's blood slide off. "It could cause you the fight and your life."

"Considerate with your opponent," Allen joked a bit noticing his chest had been burnt and was bleeding.

"Do not fret, it is but a flesh wound," Loki said. "I cannot kill you. Those are not my orders. I am merely to keep you entertained." He charged at Allen again as he tried to lands blows back.

"Tell me, sis!" Edelle called as she kept blocking the shots with the curtains. "Where are they? Where are they hiding?"

"Over my dead body!" she called appraoching with speed as she went straight behind her and shot leaving a smokescreen behind as she jumped away. "Did it work...?"

"Not even close," she called as the black matter had automatically guarded her. "You know what this Obscure Supporter, Shadow of Abyss, is capable of doing."

"Then I'll just have to shatter that supporter along with you!" she manifested her Illuminie.

"You're gonna use _Mother_'s strongest form against me?" she said in utter mocking. "Without _Son, Mother _is useless against an Obscure Supporter!" She made spears appear from among the countless shadows as they charged for Eve.

'Damn. Illuminie can't charge that fast!' and then another hit and smithereens when flying along with smoke.

"Eve?" Allen called concerned trying to fence off Loki.

But lying down with barely a scratch from that attack was Eve, while in front of her was the Earthen Shield that had bloked the spears as they retracted back to the shadows. Then a stream of electricity went amongst the level 3 Akuma and as if nothing charred them up.

"You've arrived at last," Edelle said snapping her fingers as Mousy and the two Babaa's turned from their fight and went back to their Master. Eve turned to face her sisters standing side by side behind her, Innocence activated; Cherry with her gloves sparking and Kotori having manifested her Sage Staff. "No name Yue and Cherrwood Katia."


	9. Chapter 9

"You've arrived at last," Edelle grinned at the two. "No name Yue and Cherrwood Katia."

"W-What are you doing here!" Eve said hesitant at first but then angry. "I told you to get away!"

"Everyone would've died if we had done so," Kotori said withdrawing the Earthen Shield with a wave of her staff.

"We didn't want that," Cherry said smilling weakly at her sister.

"B-But Edelle's going to-"

Edelle's sudden clapping changed their direction, "It's a brave but very stupid decision that you have made tonight. So which one of you will go first?"

"Let me," Cherry said stepping forth adjusting her gloves as the sparking augmented.

"No don't!" Lenalee called but was stopped along with the other two caught back with black strings of black matter. "What?"

"Do not interfere, Exorcists," Edelle said not even giving them a glance.

"No!" Allen evaded Loki as he headed for Edelle from behind but was caught by a clawed, dark hand that pushed him away closed to the portal.

She turned to glance at Allen saying with a cold glare, "As I said, do not interfere. This is a fight between us."

"Speak for yourself!" Cherry called punching out as a thunder hawk went after Edelle. However the shadows protected her in a sphere.

"Electricity is useless-"

"Too slow," Cherry called behind her as she punched with thunder again. Her eyes widened as her fist was caught with black strings as they whipped her harshly, rounded her about and threw her against the wall where the three were being held.

"Who's too slow?" Edelle mocked leaving Cherry unconscious.

"Charge Illuminie up to finish her off once and for all," Kotori murmrued to Eve as she stood back up injured.

"Now it's your turn, right no name?" Edelle mocked.

"You're hilarious," Kotori called throwing her staff up as it dispersed into a pair of long gloves that seemed to be made of moss green steel. "Gaia Spear!" She comanded as earthen spears ejected from Edelle's side one after the other as she stood upon ech avoiding the next. When she backflipped and was to land on clean ground Kotori caught her chance. "Gotcha..." Edelle landed into her trap, "Earthen Swamp!" The solid ground turned into quick sands immobilizing her there.

"Ara?" Edelle only looked mildly surprised as she glanced down to her feet.

Kotori then went ahead as she disconnected a chucnk of the ground with levitation from Grandmother Gaia, "Earth Cannon." As it went up she motioned her hands away from eachother as the chunk seperated into large boulders and she lowered her hands calling, "Rain of Earth!" The impact of the boulders upon the floor made debris raise above the air making them unable to see the results. Kotori scorned, gritting her teeth, "Damn it."

"You've become better at control the vast powers of Grandmother Gaia," Edelle admitted as she walked upon a black matter floor above the Earthen Swamp and protected herself of the Rain of Earth with a black shield. "But your still not good enough."

"We'll see," she disappeared as Edelle followed her speed.

"You're fast!" Edelle complimented as she jumped away. "But you don't have enough strength power by yourself!"

"Earthen Swamp!" she stopped and called as Edelle was about to jump.

"I won't fall for the same trick twice in a row!" Edelle said ejecting a black string to push herself out of the way of the Earthen Swamp.

"Think again," Kotori murmured concentrating on her next attack. "Bloom, Earth Flower!" At landing Edelle found herself attacked from below by an assorment of stone spikes that that had exploded from the ground into the shape of a flower two-thirds of the room big.

"She did it!" Lavi said amazed by her power.

"No..." Kanda called noticing something above the flower with his keen eyesight.

"Could it be...?" Eve murmrued to herself holding Illuminie to her side as particles of energy were gathering at its mouth as the one circle of white surrounded her being rotating meaning the charge of a powerful shot was on its firt stage.

"I did it," Kotori said exhausted by using so many of her moves in a single fight.

"Not quite," a claw of a dark shadow appeared and snatched up hitting her against the opposite wall from where CHerry had landed. Kotori coughed out blood. Black blood. "Huh?" Edelle landed swiftly before her as the claw held Kotori there. "Has the Immortality inside you began to reject your body?"

"I'm dying so what?" Kotori grinned and chuckled though it pained her to. "I've died 136 times before. I can take another ill week."

"You see that's were your own cockiness fails you," Edelle said snapping her fingers as the claw pushed her more into the wall making her cough out more black blood. "For your information, when someone who isn't a Synchro is given our powers as the form of Immortality, that body tends to connect for awhile to the human. However as more and more time passes by the more the Immorality in you began to reject your body. And now that it's to this stages it won't be able to revive you like it did before. This time for real, you fiflthy human, you will die."

"You talk to much crap!" Cherry called as she charged and managed to land a hit at Edelle's face. However Edelle quickly and swiftly got her fist and smashed her against the floor with immense force denting the ground. Edelle's face was but wounded by the surface and quickly cured itself. "Ugh," Cherry moaned in pain as black strings came and held her up in front of Edelle's face in a cross.

"You're very stupid as well, Cherrwood," Edelle commented. "You'll be the first one with the honor to give me your Immortality." Her right hand began to be covered by a gleaming red liquid as it formed a crimson clawed hand that worked as a glove for her own hand. She then slowly placed her fingers on Cherry's forehead as they sunk in incased in red circles. Cherry's eyes instantly widened at the intrusion and she began to scream out at the top of her lungs and began writhing because of the agonizing pain. Her Innocence reacted to the intrusion as electricity visibly ran through her body trying futilely to expulse the intruder. "You're in excruciatin pain, aren't you?" she yelled over her screams with a noticiable tinge of pleasure in hearing those screams.

"Cherry!" Eve called attempting to break the energy circle that took for Illuminie to charge.

"Don't move Eve!" Kotori yelled. "Finish charging Illuminie!"

"Huh?" Edelle said turning to Eve curious while her red claw serach for where the Immortality was hidden inside Cherry's body. "You're trying to defeat me with only Illuminie's highest shot?" she shouted about the screams. "I told you without _Son, _Illuminie is only half of the true power of your Innocence!"

"Let Cherry go, Edelle!" Eve threatened as the second ring bigger than the last appeared rotating the opposite way of the first.

"Or what?" she yelled. Lenalee, Lavi, and Kanda then heard silence. "Ara?" Edelle said surprised. "Are you too much in pain that you're done screaming?"

"Let go of her, Edelle!" Allen yelled this time trying furiously to escape the claws of Shadow of Abyss.

"You too, Allen Walker?" Edelle said turning to him. "You know what these three have been hiding from you? They're young, they say they're sisters but only by name. The only thing that unite them is the fact that they all have the same curse!"

"Curse...?" Lavi heard her being reminded of countless of talks with that same word.

"Shut up!" Kotori yelled furious.

"Why?" Edelle said as the red circles beated slowly picking up speed. "Didn't you want to tell them! You're biggest secret. The reason why you all are older than two hundred years old!"

"What?" Allen, Kanda, and Lavi said shocked.

"Exactly," Edelle said grinning. "These three have obtained the what every human wants. They never have to face death, eye to eye. They never have to worry about aging anymore. They have attained what you would wish for all human kind! They are immortal beings!" With those words she jerked of her clawed, crimson hand having Cherry's body jerk back as she extracted the Immortality from her body and once out Cherry fainted. In the red claw, Edelle lowered a her hand as slowly the red claw vaporized away and she held the Immortality in her bare hands. It was but a small crystal of a gold gleam with two rings, one over the other, surrounded the rock. It's shine was beautiful as the light hit it, it seemed to be made of silver for it reflected the light in a spectrum of colors as it's original color -gold- won against the rest. "Well, at least this one used to be."

"Cherry!" Eve yelled with no response from her as a third circle went above the others and rotated the same as the first one.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Edelle asked nobody in particular as she gazed at the crystal in her hands. "Such a desirable object is in my hands. And now-" she let it float in the palm of her hand as it got absorbed by her body as it glowed a dim gold gleam and then returned to normal. "It's all mine."

"You bitch!" Kotori yelled as she cried.

"Don't worry," Edelle said. "I'm positive that she's still alive." She muffled a soft giggle, "Not like she could survive this, thought." She motioned her hand in a thrust backwards as the strings holding Cherry tossed her aside again ageast the three Exorcists and fell before them face down. "Now," she turned to Kotori. "It's your turn, no name."

"No!" Kotori yelled trying to let free, trying to call forth Grandmother Gaia.

"Don't fight," Edelle said extending her arm as her red claw appeared again. "It will only make things worse."

"Stop it!" Kanda yelled in rage as he tried getting free of the strings with even more force. "Stay away!"

"Huh?" Edelle said stopping in front of Kotori gazing at the efforts that Kanda was putting in escaping her Dark Rings.

"What's up with Mr. Pessism?" Babaa asked Mousy.

"It's simple," he said yawning. "A false infatuation, that he himself doesn't seem to notice."

"Ha, hahaha!" Edelle laughed a laugh that sent chills down all of their bodies. "Magnificent! Yu Kanda, you just made me want to kill no name!"

"Don't you dare!" Kanda yelled trying to activate Mugen uselessly.

"No! Stop!" Kotori cried out knowing what was waiting at hand.

"And it get's worse! Because you're rejecting it, this expulsion might actually kill you!" Edelle called as she plunged her claw at the core of Kotori's Immortality, her chest. Kotori yelled with in excruciating pain more than Cherry had.

**"No!" **Eve exclaimed as the final stage of Illuminie was complate as a sphere of light rose on its mouth. "Let go of her Edelle!" she shouted shooting at her. However Shadow of Abyss blocked the attack but it persisted. The wall of dark matter forced the power to dessintegrate but not before all its extensions suffered a cracks from the force of Illuminie.

"It's useless!" Edelle called laughing.

"Stop!" Eve called being able to move again as she headed for Edelle but was jerked around and thrown towards Allen by Loki. Eve hit the massive Dark Claw that held Allen immobile with great force.

"Eve!" Allen called concerned.

The rings of scarlet appeared on Kotori's chest, "Got it." She jerked with much force to make Kotori cry out as she fainted instantly. The red claw disappeared as Edelle glanced at the crystal. It was a green color and as she forcefully absorbed it, her body too glowed a green color before going back to normal. "Look Evangelique!" she called as she raised her hands above her head. "I've got the Immmortality of _Father _and _Grandmother_! I'm more powerful than you now!" She extended a double-edge blade from her withing her left sleeve. "Now let us fight and finish this two hundred year old fight." She walked over to her as Mousy, Babaas, and Loki watched.

"Get up!" Allen yelled as he tried to escape the Dark Claw and the cracks got bigger. "Eve, wake up!"

"Oh, she's awake," Edelle confirmed getting clsoer and closer. "I wouldn't want her to miss how I kill her off for good."

"No, don't do it!" Lavi yelled as more cracks appeared.

"Leave her alone!" Lenalee called as more came out.

"You're going to pay!" Kanda shouted as even more appeared.

"Eve, wake up! Come on!" Allen shouted.

"You're full of surprises. Two infatuated with you, one with your sister. Love is what makes your Death even more wonderful, dear Eve," Edelle grinned as she brought her sword upwards to strike.

**"****Wake up!" **Allen yelled with all his might. With that last word before everything else happened Loki's eyes smeared with tears as he took a step forth.

Then everything unfolded. The cracking was immense as the Black Rings on everyone broke. Eve had actually managed to damange Shadow of Abyss badly enough to break his capacity. Allen had stabbed Edelle through her abdomen with his Sword of Exorcism. Lavi had his hammer extended and its sharp end having stabbed Edelle's right side of her neck. Kanda's Mugen was on Edelle's left side stabbing her ribcage were her heart would be. Lenalee lastly had taken Eve's weakened body backwards as the boys dealt with Edelle.

"Master!" Mousy and Babaa, as one, shouted in concern.

"You've gone far enough," Allen spoke against the silence that stayed amongst them. "You're dying here."

"I can't die Allen Walker," she said grinning as a ring of fire around her made them retreat. Loki came to stand before her dissipating the ring as Edelle's wounds healed at a bit slower pace. "But it seems my body needs time to recognize these foreign Immortality. Loki." He let Loki lift her weak body from the floor as the other two apparoached as the black portal appeared behind them as it disappeared on the other side.

Eve still conscious saw the boy. "No..." She stretched her hand out barely making a noticiable move by Lenalee.

"Eve?" Lenalee said dropping her usual politeness.

"Don't leave..." she whispered.

"Sorry, Exorcists but I can't seem to be capable of playing with you anymore for the moment," Mousy and Babaa entered and disappeared into the black void. "I'll be seeing you later though when those keys our found and when the doors to my home city are opened." Loki took a step into the portal. "Let us meet again."

"Don't leave me again," Eve cried silently and unbeknownst to her her subconscious had shouted out loud. **"Adamah!" **

For the slightest second, Loki seemed to stop his footsteps and gaze to his side. His mouth slipped open but no words came out and soon he stepped in and disappeared leaving behind the disaster and grief that now entered Eve's mind and body.


	10. Chapter 10

"How're you feeling?" Komui asked as he had the four Exorcists who saw everything along with Eve who had awakened earlier than her sisters five days after the occurred. Kanda was standing leaning against the wall with Lavi beside him seating with a chair backwards as he leaned upon the back of the chair. Lenalee sat on the couch in front of the coffee table as Allen sat on another couch across of Komui's desk. Eve sat on the edge of Komui's desk as she lifted her feet from the ground barely.

"Like crap," she said traight forth popping her shoulder. "But I can't complain." She turned to the four bowing before them, "I apologize for implicating you in all this. Not only did your headquarters sustain damages but also did your fellow people and Exorcists."

"Wow," Lavi said surprised. "Never thought I'd see you say sorry for something."

"Take a picture," she said straight forth turning back to Komui. "Cause I won't be doing it again."

"Right," Kanda said as he asked. "So what exactly happened then? What exactly did Edelle take from those two?"

"Their Immortality," Eve said simply. "As you heard, we hid the fact that we were immortal beings to you and all the Order except for its higher ups. We can die but we would revive seven days laters."

"Which explains what happened when you killed yourself," Allen put out it the open.

"Yeah but what Edelle took was exactly that from those two," Eve continued. "They weren't descendents of the Synchros from Synchronicity like I am. They were once humans that faced the fear of death."

"Who gave them those Immortality then?" Lenalee asked.

"Their Innocence did," Eve answered. "_Grandmother _and_ Father_ gave them the chance to live forever after dying once with no soul."

"What do you mean with no soul?" Kanda asked.

"Both went through hardships that drove them to chose death over the decision to live. They wanted to die, but at the same time they wanted to die because they wanted to live," she explained and sighed. "It's hard to explain."

"It's hard to udnerstand," Lavi sighed. "Anything else?"

"Um," she thought out loud trying to upbring anything else. "Yes! That true. You saw how strong Edelle didn't you?" They all agreed, "Well there's something much worse in Shadowland. Something that could end this world as we know it."

"World extermination," Lavi chuckled. "Nothing new for me!"

"No one's asking, smartass," Eve called annoyed. She took a deep breath, "Then there's the case of how Synchronicity fell."

"I've heard that story," Lenalee interrupted. "It fell into a dark void and now resides in the darkest depths of oblivion."

"The oblivion part is true," Eve accepted. "But it didn't 'fall' per say. Edelle was at fault with all that."

"She seems to cause a whole trouble," Allen added.

"More than that," Eve continued. "You saw how cruel she was taking away Kotori's Immortality. She yearns to create despair and hatred. The same that they caused to her when her sister was murdered by the Asian Branch."

"Wait I thought you said her sister got taken by them?" Allen called.

"They took her away after Shadowland and all of Synchronicity fell to oblivion," Eve continued her explanation. "They didn't want to deal with a real pureblood like Edelle so they took her sister instead. But I'm pretty sure she died after a month or two. A very dreadful and painful death." She gazed at Komui from her peripherals. "Isn't that right Komui?"

"Brother?" Lenalee asked.

He sighed heavily, "The reports on the subject known as 'Gardenia' show that she died a month after adding her to the project in the Asian Branch. It was a gruesome death by an unknown illness."

"It wasn't an illness that took her life," Eve broke down more. "It was the filth in this air."

"Filth?" Allen inquired a bit confused.

"The air in Shadowland and Synchronocity, thanks to Grandmother Gaia's power, was purer than the air in this world. The toxicity of this air punctures our lungs making it harder and harder to breathe as we start choking on our own blood," she enlightened them with the mental image. "I know cause that happened to my mother when she was outcasted from Shadowland. Then when Synchronicity collapsed I too started to get sick. Then when I died that first time was when _Mother _and _Son _awoke and with the Innocence activated so did my genes as one of the purebloods."

"Does that mean you don't have one of those crystals like your sister?" Lenalee questioned.

"Yes and no," she stated nonchalantly.

"Elaborate, sweetcakes," Lavi said as Eve threw Komui's pen at him that jabbed his arm.

"I have no solid Immotality like Kotori or Cherry did because theirs was given, mine is inherited," she answered Lenalee's question.

"Then you don't," Allen concluded.

"That's the 'yes' part," she corrected him. "It's not that I don't have a crystal formed Immortality. It's just that my whole body has become my Immortality. If you want to destroy me that burn my body, bones and all. If not, if only a little bit of me is left, then I'll be able to revive from it."

"Destroying the Immortality, destroys the bearer of a pureblood or any made Synchro," Komui concluded. "Before this I did not have this information. Evangelique gave it to me voluntarily."

"Why?" Lavi asked not getting her point. "Why tell us how to kill such omnipotent beings when you and your only family are those beings?"

"Because..." she heaved a breath, long and heavy. "I'm afraid of what happening to me." Everybody was shocked at that comment. "I'm not going to elaborate on that term. Want to know, ask me later, alone. Anything else ya'll want to know about before I leave?"

"Yeah," Lavi stood from his place and stood in front of Eve glaring directly at her. "Who's Adamah?"

"Ada...mah?" she repeated, surprised. "H-How do you know that name?"

"You shouted it out when Loki and Edelle were leaving through that portal," Allen called.

"Don't you remember?" Lenalee asked in disbelief.

"A-are you serious?" she asked in completely incredulous.

"Ptf," Lavi scoffed walking back to his place. "What? When it's a personal question you suddenly get amnesia? How fucking convenient."

"Lavi!" Lenalee scolded him as he glanced some other way.

"You don't get it," Eve shouted a bit frustrated at herself. "It's because of _Mother _and _Son. _Ever since them and I became compatible they've taken chunks of my memory from me. Erased them completely. The time when I killed myself after the first mission together I remember Loki and her leaving with the key. But then a chunk is gone and by the time I know what's going on, my own hand had already pulled on the trigger by itself. Then the fight of a few days ago the last thing I remember is Edelle throwing me against Allen and then I fainted. After that I woke up in my bed five days later."

"Still say it's pretty damn convenient," Lavi said coldly.

"But it's true nonetheless," Cardigan caught all of their attention as she entered the room and stood next to Eve and ruffled her hair a bit.

"Hey!" she pouted like a little kid.

"It's true?" Lenalee asked shocked.

"Since I've met her she's always had that dilemma," Cardigan said. "It's been hard to find out what she remembers or not because when she's unconscious but still wakling and talking we didn't know if it's her or not."

"Who else could it be?" Kanda asked.

"Barathrum," Cardigan answered.

"Barathrum?" Lavi repeated confused in remembrance of his late dream. "Isn't that your middle name?"

"It's not a middle name," Eve said sullen. "It's another name."

"Another...?" Allen whispered. "Barathrum...that means Abyss doesn't it."

"That's who talks and acts through my body when those chunks disappear. They turn into 'her' memories. I don't know who she is or how we came to share a body. But we do," she said a bit enbarrased.

"We identified Barathrum one day while trying to force her second Innocence, _Son_, out. But the minute we began getting even close, Barathrum dominated her body and actions, and attacked all of us. It was for the shortest span before she fell to the ground unconscious," Cardigan finished. "So don't think she's lying when I've seen it happen before. Those are the memories that Roman told Supervisor Lee to look out for. Barathrum will try to kill anybody and anything that wants to appraoch those hidden recollections. Barathrum doesn't want us to know something about the person we know as Evangelique. Something not even the dominant being, Eve, knows about." She let her hand open as Pheonix came out.

"Pheonix," Eve muttered as Pheonix landed upon her head. Then his tail wipped away the tears that threatened to come down her cheeks. This small action made her giggle a bit. "Thanks."

"You should go visit your sisters," Cardigan suggested. "Cherry has woken up and demands to eat something. You better take it to her."

"Yeah," she said stopping just before the doorway. She opened her mouth then closed it as she pursed her lips and left quickly.

"Is she okay?" Allen asked Cardigan as she sighed out her stress.

"Not in the least," Cardigan said taking a seat on the couch with Lenalee. She blew away her hair as she leaned on the couch. "She's a whole mess of wrecked nerves. She's preoccupied with Cherry and Kotori's state. Besides that Roman left her the task of destroying the power that resides inside Shadowland too. I don't know how much more she's going to withstand."

"She's strong, she'll manage," Lavi simply said.

"She's strong alright," Cardigan agreed. "But I'm still worried. That little body has already taken so much burden and has been dragging it out for over two hundred years. I afraid that one day that burden will become so large that it'll shatter her completely."  
>~<p>

"How're you feeling?" Eve asked warmly as Cherry devoured her food like she used to.

"Great actually~!" she said gulping down a whole mess. She then sulked a bit, "How's Kotori?"

"She's in intensive care," Eve told her taking the empty tray and bringing more food she'd brought with her from Jerry.

"She's alive," Cherry said calmly with a smile. "So am I."

"She needs a lot of rest," Eve kept on informing her. "Komui said that she'll probably need another couple of weeks before she wakes back up."

"Are you okay?" Cherry asked.

"Kotori will probably want to eat a lot too," she chuckled. "It'll be really against her facade to eat like you and I do wouldn't it?"

"I asked you, if you were okay!" Cherry yelled stopping her movements as both stared at eachother's eyes. "Don't make me repeat myself."

Eve smiled weakly as she lowered the tray in front of Cherry and leaned against bedside cabinet, "I'm not fine, Cherry. Actually I'm more than just 'not fine', I'm a complete disaster."

Cherry glanced at her for an instant and returned to her eating a bit slower, "Got that right. Wanna talk about it?"

"It's awful," Eve said trying to force a smile as she hid her eyes with her hand. "Because of my precariousness, you've lost your Immortality. If I'd been stronger, neither Kotori nor you would be in such state."

"Who cares?" Cherry called poking Eve's forehead with the fork she held in her hands.

"What do you mean who cares?"

"It's not like I wanted to live forever," Cherry said lowering her hand and gazing at her food. "And Kotori said that she hated not being able to control her own life. The fact that she couldn't die took away the one free choice she had in all her life, her own death. We actually felt sorry for you because you have been living this nightmare longer."

"It was a nightmare," Eve said sitting on the bed. "Until I found that I wasn't alone in this world. I found you two and that gave me the strength to go on. With you two, my little sisters, I had the power to overcome most of my fears and despairs of living forever."

"Now what then?" Cherry asked all of a sudden not hungry anymore. "We're no longer immortal. I can't hear _Father_'s voice anymore when I try to activate my Innocence. Grandmother Gaia too has locked herself in that chest, Cardigan told me."

"Don't worry," Eve promised. "You're just a little weak, you'll hear your Innocence's voice again. And Grandmother Gaia is only trying to protect herself. If Hevlaska found out that during the battle Kotori's Innocence exited her body it would cause havoc. Grandmother Gaia just wants to make sure that when Kotori's ready to take her back, she'll be waiting there at the same place she lost her."

"I see," Cherry said with a comprehending smile. Her eyes return to her former gleam as she clapped her hands together, "Well, I can't be wasting food can I? Thanks for the food!"

Eve smiled warmly at her as she stood up, "Eat till your heart's content, Cherry. Then try to rest some more. I'll go check on Kotori and I'll be leaving for Snowpeak."

"Snowpeak?" Cherry said after a gulp. "That was out destination before the attack. Some relatives of mine live near there, so if you want some refuge from the weather tell them hi for me, okay?"

"Yeah," she said nodding and left as Cherry went back to her food. She trusts me, she thought with a smile, that's why she's letting me go alone.

"Pheonix," the golem's wings perked at the voice of its new master. "Do me a favor and to my room. In my bedstand there inside is a little pocket watch. Mind getting it for me?" Pheonix flew up and away from the opposite direction of the intensive care.

Reaching the area was not that hard. The head nurse was making her rounds on checking upon Kotori.

"Hey," Eve made herself knowned to the woman. "How's she looking today?"

"Oh, it's you Rasmusen," she said glancing at her then back at Kotori. "She's doing better today. She's on the road to a slow but sure recovery."

"I see," she ended. She looked around at the room. Kotori was hooked up to a whole lot of machines that helped her breathe. Her wounds were scratches on the outside but the inside was the problem. The problem was the severe damage to her psyche that had put her in such a state. "What about her mental status?"

"To tell you the truth with this much damage, it's a grand surprise that she didn't go crazy," the head nurse said. "You have five minutes." Then she headed out into the main hospital wing. It was quite empty, actually Kotori was the only one in the intensive care.

"You're getting better, Kotori," Eve said sitting on a chair next to her bed. "And don't worry I'll make sure that no one finds Grandmother Gaia until you're ready to go for her. Stay here, rest up. I'll be heading for Snowpeak tonight. I know you were the one who told Komui about not letting me out at night but this is urgent. We have to get those keys and open Synchronicity. I'll do it...for us." Pheonix came in carrying the gold pockey watch with the chain in his mouth. He dropped it right in her hand. "Thanks Pheonix." She placed it delicately and slightly under her pillow, beside her head. "Here you go. It's my promise that I'll do anything to help you. I'll start your time back up. I'll make those painful memories be bearable. I'll do something. I promise." She quickly left with Pheonix following behind her.  
>~<p>

"This is it, Snowpeak?" Lavi asked as they stood on the small cliff where the blizzard persisted upon them. The four of them from their first mission gathered at the entrace of the area. All of them were dressed in appropriate attire: heavy coats and for the two girls no skirts but pants.

"Nope," Eve said talking over her hooded face, the hodd with warm white fur. She raised her hand towards another point, a faint gold light gleaming over the blizzard; her cuffs furred as well. "That's Snowpeak."


	11. Chapter 11

_"Hey... Who are you?" _the little voice of the girl asked to the figure that sat before her. The girl's figure was but a little green silhouette but the features were as if carved and curved of the finest gem. _"Why are you scared of telling the truth? You still hear those voices. You still are overwhlemed by your lies to yourself. What is the mistake you are looking for? For what? To incriminate yourself and have a reason to blame you? Why? Do you not find a meaning to your own life?" _

"I don't."

_"Why can't you start looking now?" _The girl's head tilted in question but when she glanced she jumped up as she disappeared in a mist.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be resting?"

Kotori turned her head not standing up to look at Kanda. He had his hair down for once but looked like he had not slept in a long time. She turned back to the chest that sat on a small pedestal protected by thorns.

"I don't feel like resting," she answered. She could hear his footsteps as he walked down the steps towards her who sat on the last one.

"Komui said you'd wake up in about two weeks," he said stnading by her. "You shouldn't be walking about yet? How did you even get down here."

"Walking, smartass," she called hiding her mouth in her crossed arms. "Who're you to talk? Shouldn't you be asleep like all the others?"

"I couldn't," he simply said and glanced over at the chest. "Is that Grandmother Gaia?"

"Yep," Kotori said. "Out and free. I can't activate my Innocence anymore. Not with her out of me."

"You're powerless without your Innocence, aren't you," this comment made her stand up abruptly and walked wobbly over to the chest. She raised her leg and kicked the thorns over and over making her foot start bleeding. She stopped once the thorn was too damamged and fell but from the floor another rose and covered it up. She fell down there, exhausted by that mere action. A small potcket watch fell from her pocket, falling a few feet away opening itself. Kanda got over to her kneeling to help, "Are you okay?"

"I'm not powerless," she said panting. "My psyche got jumbled when Edelle took my Immortality. My body screams to me everytime I move but I want to move. I want to stand on my own." She tried getting up but staggered greatly so Kanda helped her by letting her lean against his forearm. "You're stupid. You're helping me. It was because of you that Edelle did me so much damage."

"Don't you think I know that," Kanda answered angry. "I talked to your sister about it. She explained-"

"I heard Mousy explain it as a false infatuation," she said not really buying the explanation. "I know it's not true." She went over to the jacket she wore, touching her pocket. "Oh shit."

"What?"

"My pocket watch," she checked her other pocket hastily. "I had it with me just now."

"Is it that one over there?" Kanda said nodding where the watch had fallen.

"Yeah," she tried taking a step forth but the moment her foot landed pain stroke at her body.

"Hold on," he said leaning her against the wall. He walked over and picking it up. "It got broken."

"No," she shook her head. "It was like that already. Bring it back to me, please."

He walked back to her and gave it to her as she held it close to her bosom with both hands before putting it safely back into her jacket pocket.

"Something important?" he asked as he offered his forearm again to guide her back to her room.

"It was given to me by someone I don't remember," she smiled warmly. "When I was very little and had only been a couple of years that I was marked a made Synchro."

"Are you the same as your sister and lose parts of your memory?" he asked going slowly up the steps.

"I've lost parts of my past but mostly because I didn't want to remember them. I guess _Grandmother_ thought those memories of the one who gave the pocket watch to me were saddening and made me forget them too," she explained flinching with every step.

"Slower?" he asked stopping briefly.

"No, it's fine. I have to learn to bare this pain," he kept walking on a little slower and finally got to the top of the steps. She chuckled out of nowhere.

"What's so funny?"

"You know I've realized something humorous about my life just now," she looked down. "I've got control back."

"Control?" he repeated confused about her comment. Suddenly she fell to her knees pulling him to one knee.

"Sorry," she panted. "I'm a bit tired." She breathed heavily for a minute or two before trying to stand back up but falling back down on her knees like a rag doll. "Damn!" she groaned through gritted teeth as tears silenlty fell down her cheeks and chin.

"It's fine. Don't get frustrated like that," Kanda assured her.

"It's not that," she called frustrated and punched her thighs over and over.

"Hey, stop," he called grabbing both her wrists and taking a knee before her.

"I've-" she hiccuped a bit before hiding her face gazing down. "I've never felt this much pain before. It's always cured itself immediately. To feel so much again right now, makes it overwhleming." She jerked her hands off from his grip and wipped her tears away. "I can't stand up now. Can you carry me there?"

"You're freaking serious?" he shouted annoyed.

"Please~" she pouted stretching her arms out to him.

"You're starting to act like a little kid again," he scorned.

"This is how I am," she answered pouting. "I'm the youngest sister! I'm got spoiled a lot by Evangelique. Blame her. Carry me~Kanda!"

"Fine! Fine! Stop whinning!" he shouted at her and picked her up by her legs and back as she help onto his neck. "You're heavy."

"Fuck you," she retorted. "I'm just 120 pounds."

"Still heavy," he said at the second floor.

"It's muscle, boy. That's what is it," she stuck out her tongue a bit.

"I can drop you, you know?" he said almost too seriously.

"If I go, I'll take you down with me," she said tugging at his neck. In three minutes they got to the intensive care room and he sat her on the bed but she wouldn't let go of his neck. She had a grip on him making him bend a bit to face her.

"What's wrong?" he said touching her shoulders.

"It's hurts," she mumbled.

"What does?" he asked glancing down at her.

"My body," she mumbled barely hearable. "It's hurting." She started to cry and her nails dug into his skin.

"H-Hey," he called feeling them and trying to grabbing them with his, attempting to loosen her strong grip.

"It's hurting a lot," she cried and started shaking. She suddenly let go of his neck and started scratching her thighs lifting her nightgown.

"Stop!" he grabbed her wrist again. "What's with you and hurting yourself?"

"They're coming back," she cried her pink eyes gleaming reddish. He glanced down to see what damaged she'd done and noticed the numorous scars on her thighs and more aproaching in up to where the nightgown covered. His eyes widened seeing the scars turning pink and starting to bleed. "AH!" she screamed in pain. In a hurry, the head nurse came in.

"What's happening?" she called shocked at seeing the comatose patient and an Exorcist in her intensive care room.

"She started bleeding from her scars!" he informed her rapidly as the head nurse laid her down as she began writhing.

"Hold her down," she ordered as she went over to get something. Kanda held her down by her shoulders and had to actually put pressure when she was getting harder and harder to control. "Here," she said as she had a syringe in her hand and placed it into her arm. As the seconds passed her writhing stopped and so did her screaming. "Leave."

"But-"

"Now," she commanded as she began to bandage the numerous wounds that had started resurfacing. He left quickly and just as he got outside Cardigan and Cherry were already arriving there.

"What happened to her?" Cardigan asked.

"I don't know," Kanda said trying to recall everything clearly. "Her scars. They started to bleed as if they were fresh wounds."

Cherry's eyes widened along with Cardigan's. Cherry turned to her, "Do you think the poison-"

"If it were the air she'd be dead by now," Cardigan confessed out loud. "It's something else."

"What else?" Kanda asked looking at the closed door behind him. "She's in deep pain. Awhile ago I saw her at the training grounds lowest level. She was looking at the chest were her Innocence is."

"What did you see?" Cardigan demanded.

"I just just saw her there, sitting down and sulking," he tried to remember. "I think I heard someone saying something about finding the meaning of life or something."

"Great," Cardigan going inside as Cherry gasped.

"What?" Kanda said confused and turned to Cherry. "What's wrong?"

"Kotori, she's starting to sink back into her old self," Cherry whispered nervously. "When we met her she was a nerve wreck always wanting to cause pain to herself. She said that it was the only thing that made her feel alive."

"She was suicidal," he understood then why she liked to hit others and hit herself.

Cherry nodded, "She told us that she didn't want to leave the place we'd find her. Not without her friends."

"Her friends?"

"Two boys, we never knew them and after we took her in she forgot about them thanks to Grandmother Gaia," Cherry said. "Those injuries were done by the one who got a hold of her before we did. A human who abused of her powers and of her child body." His eyes widened a bit in shock and understanding. "If those injuries are resurfacing then that means so are the memories. And if all those memories return then Grandmother Gaia will stop functioning in her hands and will not be compatible with her anymore."

"How with just remembering her past?"

"Grandmother Gaia accepted her is she devoted herself to the art of Cendilion," Cherry explained. "Cendilion is the old making of the nature maiden. She had to forget about her family. She had to forget about her past. But most importantly she had to forget about any love she ever felt. To be Cendilion, she had to be unbiased to nature and all her living things. It was our assumption that the two boys she knew were the cause of her memory loss. She must've fallen in love with one of them breaking part of her contract."

"Why risk so much just to be compatible..." Kanda said not really wanting to know.

"So she could find out why she was hated by the beings that gave birth to her," Cherry mumbled but quickly covered her mouth. "Oh shoot! No, you didn't hear me say that. Oh shoot. She's going to kill me." She ran away into her room.

"Why she was hated...by her parents?" Kanda said summering what Cherry had said.  
>~<p>

She ran and ran and kept on running. She didn't want to look back. The man was searching for her after she'd escaped. He thought that breaking her legs would keep her from escaping but _Grandmother _aided her and cured her legs. She saw her chance and took it. Bairong was a small city and was closest to China than any other. But she could hear the running footsteps behind her closing in. She had to hide...now. She noticed that one of the bars of the sewage system was open and she entered. With bared feet she felt the running water beneath her. However the current was way strong because of the rain the night before and it swept her off her feet dragging her away. She found herself in the deepest parts of the sewage systems. That's when she smelled it, fresh air. It was coming from a duct a bit far. Going in and through it she fell on her legs hard into a cold room. It had been a winter shower that hit the city the night before after all.

She stood up and found it had been some kind of shrine where she had landed. At the front part there was the shrine part, then the rest of the room was the kind of part. There were holes everywhere with water in them and kids. Kids that were probably her age. Or that were the age she looked. She was over twenty but looked like an eight-year-old and had the mentality of one. For twenty years she had been sexually abused by the man that she had been sold to by her parents. Parents that were rich and didn't need the money. Parents who hated her so much, that didn't love her, to the extend to not give her a name. So the man just called her 'no name'.

"Hey," her head perked up at the voice. It was a boy a little older than her that had spiked hair and black colored eyes. Different from her own that were a chorale pink and that her hair that was curly and chocolate brown, long to her ankles. On instinct she began running away but tripped on one of the edges and twisted her already hurting ankles. "Are you okay?" the boy asked again as he appraoched her. She turned on her back, scared for her life. She didn't want to be found. What if the man knew? She didn't want to go back there, to that hell.

"No!" she yelled in a high pitched voice as she threw rocks that she had manifested in her hands with Grandmother Gaia. "Stay away from me!"

"H-Hey, wait," the boy called trying to avoid the throws.

"Alma?" another voice made her halt. It was another boy, this one with long hair to his shoulders and the same dark eyes. He had just entered the room and noticed them. "Alma!"

"No, wait Yu!" Alma called and turned to her. "You fell hard right now, didn't you? Let me help you?"

"No..." she shook her head slightly crying. **"Go away!" **she bellowed and her Innocence responded as from the gronud spike grew their way threatening to attack. "

"Alma, look out!" Yu called as he pushed him out of the spikes way. They both landed aside as the attack reached the wall.

"What was that?" Alma said confused and shocked.

"Get away from me!" she cried loudly as walls started forming around her bigger and bigger.

"Yu! Alma!" Professor Edgar hearing the ruckuc has rushed in.

"Professor!" both called from their place.

"What in the-"

"Stop coming this way!" she shouted as more spikes shot Edgar's way. The boys fortunately pushed him aside like Yu did before.

"Who is she?" Edgar questioned them.

"Beats me," Yu answered.

"Don't know," Alma answered.

She was crying loudly as the wall started to close in on her, "Grandmama! Grandmama!" Then the green figure of an old woman appeared before the girl and embraced her in her arms.

_"There, there now. They mean no harm to you. They are not him. You can let them through." _

She nodded as the figure stood beside her and with a wave of her hand made the spikes and walls disapppear.

"I-I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I didn't mean to cause any harm. I'm just scared. Are you gonna send me back to that man?"

"That man?" Yu and Alma murmured.

"Not if you don't want to," Edgar said peacefully appraoching her. "You don't want to, do you?"

She began to cry harder then, "He did bad things to me! They hurt! And he brought his friends and it hurt even more!" Edgar then saw his chance and embraced the girl just like the figure had, lovingly. An emotion that she had never known in her life and that could calm her the second she got it.

"There, there now. You're safe here," he assured her. He pulled her away as the two appraoched with her a bit calmer. "Now what's you're name?"

"I..." she galnced down. "I'm nobody." She looked up at him and tilted her head. "Who are you? Are you nobody too?"


	12. Chapter 12

"How did she end up here?" Twi demanded to know from Edgar that same night.

Edgar left the girl up to Alma and Yu who were giving her something to eat at four in the morning after he changed her from her dirty clothes.

"I guess she fell in from the air ducts. They're conneted to the sewer system," Edgar said.

"Where did she say she came from," Zu asked Edgar.

"Bairong Empire," Edgar answered.

"She came from quite a distance," Twi confirmed.

"Moreso what I saw there," Edgar said chuckling. "She's a bit frightening for being only a little kid."

"Innocence?" Twi turned to ask Zu.

He nodded, "That is the most plausible explanation."

"Should we report this to Central?" Edgar asked him.

"No," he answered. "With Yu and Alma's synchroniaztions on a precarious state, a true Apostle might stable the Innocence we keep there. We'll keep her here until their synchronizations are successful."  
>~<p>

"You say you're nobody?" Alma asked as they sat, legs crossed facing in, on a bed.

"I don't have a name," she answered smiling. "My parents never gave me one."

"Parents?" Yu asked.

"You don't know? They're the ones who give birth to you," she explained. "They're suppose to love you and take care of you."

"Then why aren't you with your parents?" Alma asked.

"Because they don't love me," she answered forcing a smile.

"But you have to have a name we can call yo by, right?" Alma said leaning closer to her. He turned to face Yu, "Right?"

"Well," Yu said in thought. "You're free now right? With us."

"I guess," she said in thought. "So?"

"That's right," Alma said in epiphany. "I remember reading in one book that birds are the kind of beings that fly freely in the sky."

"Really?" she said amazed. "I've heard of birds but my hometown didn't have any."

"Yep, their very beautiful and graceful," Alma added. "Actually I think they describe you very well."

"Y-You think so?" she said a little embarrased.

"Then how about Kotori?" Yu suggested.

"What's that?" she asked.

"It's the japanese word for bird," he said and turned to Alma. "Right?"

"Pretty sure," Alma said.

"I guess," she mumbled. "I guess Kotori isn't such a bad name."

"Then Kotori it is!" Alma exclaimed happy. "Well, my name's Alma. Nice to meet you Kotori."

"Hi," she said shyly.

Alma glanced at Yu and elbowed him. "Fine! I'm Yu."

She giggled, "Nice to meet you too Yu." The presence of a childish female made both of them blush a bit.

"What are you lot doing?" Edgar asked as he entered the room.

"We found out what her name is!" Alma said cheerfully.

"She' Kotori," Yu said with a faint smile.

"Hello, my name's Kotori," she said smiling at Edgar.

"Kotori?" he smiled. "That's a pretty name."

"Thank you~" she chimed in smiling.

~X~

Kanda awoke abruptly as he had begun sweating. He sat up and noticed it was still night outside. He'd gone to sleep after what Cherry had told her. What had that dream been? Or...

"A...memory...?"

* * *

><p>"Hey," Lavi said as they followed Eve through the blizzard. "Sweetcakes."<p>

"She can't hear you Lavi," Lenalee said.

"Oi!" Allen shouted catching her attention making her turn around.

"What?" she asked. At turning they saw that her nose was reddish and her cheeks were pinkish like a doll's. Her little frown only made it cuter that she was cold.

"Pft," Lavi said trying hard not to laugh but giving in. "Hahaha! Sweetcakes your face!"

"Shut up!" she yelled throwing snowballs he evaded until the last one that hit him straight in the face.

"You're cold aren't you?" Allen said coming to her and fixing the scarf.

"I'm not a kid, Allen," she scorned through a muffled voice.

"You're sure acting like one," Lavi mumbled to Lenalee as he got hit again on the face by a double snowball.

"Please, stop doing that," Allen said pulling her by the scarf up to the front as they all kept walking. "Are you sure we're going the right way?"

"Positive," she said pointing up ahead. "There. You can see Cherry's relative's place from here."

Allen strained his eyes as he looked beyond the storm into cliff where a great, old mansion stood. "Those look like they're in ruins."

"That's what they are," Lavi said as he watched and caught up with them along with Lenalee. "Those are the Snowpeak Ruins. You said somebody actually lives in them?"

"Yep," she said snuggling her hands in front of her mouth and blowing on them.

"In this harsh climate? How can one even think about living here," Lenalee said as they were climbing up the cliff's side.

"They got used to it," Eve explained finding it hard to keep up.

"Hurry up sweetcakes," Lavi called as he was leading the other two while she was behind.

"It's hard for me to walk in this stupid storm!" she yelled and took another step but instead sunk into the snow up to her waist. "Augh!" she cried trying to pull herself out.

"Haha," Lavi said coming up to her. "You're that heavy?"

"Shut it and give me your hands!" she shouted as she stretched her arms out and mitten hands over to him.

"Okay, okay," he called and held onto her forearms as she did and pulled her out. At pulling her out he had came to let go of her right forearm as he embraced her by the waist as she landed gracefully and safely on the firm snow. He was glancing a bit too intensely making her blush and turn away as she let go.

"Thanks," she mumbled as she walked as fast as she could to the front. He shook his head after a moment and hid his face under his hood. After a mile more up hill they finally got to the top of the cliff.

"Here we are," Lenalee said stepping on the stone floor. Three sets of steps went up to the grand double door.

Allen grabbed the doorknob and faced Eve who nodded once. With that Allen knocked twice as the sound echoed in the inside.

Eve took in a breath before shouting, "Aunt Lottie! Uncle Sebas! It's me, Eve!"

A few minutes later the left door was pulled inwards open. A young lady in her thirties with a great figure stood out. She had long gold, blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Eve-chan?" she said glancing at her. "It is you!"

"Oh no," Allen said glancing at Lottie for a bit.

"This is bad," Lenalee said sighing.

"Strike!" Lavi suddenly called his eye turninf into a heart. Eve simply pushed him to the edge and shoved him off as he rolled down the slope forming a huge snowball.

"You were saying!" she yelled and slapped her hands against eachother. "I'm done with cleaning out the garbage."

"Please come in," Lottie offered opening the doors. "Any friends of Eve-chan's are my friends."

"T-Thanks," Allen said a little fearful of the mad Eve.

"Thank you very much," Lenalee smiled used to Eve's attitude towards the playboy Lavi.

"Yep, thanks~" Lavi said getting Lenalee and Allen to turn to him.

"How did you-" both called.

"If a nice, beautiful lady is involved, I'm good by the ten fold," Lavi said grinning stupidly.

"How've you been, Aunt?" Eve asked with a smile taking her heavy furred coat off and carrying it.

"Good, good." She opened another door and in they went into a warm living room. A fireplace gave the warmth and took away the white glow of the snow into an orangy color from the flames. "Rest here a bit. I need to tell Sebastian you're here." She went into the left hand door into the kitchen as everyone took off their heavy attire. Eve placed her on the couch's back nearest to the fireplace and sat down gazing at the embers glow. Lenalee took the armchair across of the fireplace and the farthest. Lavi and Allen took the one across from Eve's couch.

"Evangelique!" a man's voice boomed as the door bursted open. Lavi and Allen turned around to see a strong, buff man came in and took Eve in his arms lifting her off her feet. Her face looked happy but a bit constricted.

"Uncle Sebas," she huffed out as he put her down. "H-How've you been?"

"Haha," he chuckled ruffling her hair. "Never better, child. Never better." He turned to the boys as they stiffed up. "Well are any of these poppet's boy?"

"Very funny, Uncle Sebas," she shook her head. "They're not."

"Well, then come here to the humble house of Sebastian and my dear wife Charlotte," he took both into a huge bear hug strifing them of air.

"I'm Allen Walker, sir," Allen said half out of air.

"Lavi," he could barely keep conscious.

Lenalee and Eve chuckled as he let them down. "And who might this young, lovely flower be?"

"My name's Lenalee Lee sir," she said as he bowed a bit, getting her hand and kissing it lightly.

"A pleasure," he said like all a genlteman.

Charlotte giggled as she held onto her husband's forearm, "We apologize. We rarely get any visits. Sebastian's just a little enthusiastic sometimes."

"You bet," he grinned. "So why's our poppet here besides visiting this old couple?"

"Well, first thing, Cherrwood and Kotori send their regards," Eve said sitting back down.

"Aw, those two. Have they grown? Last time I saw little Kotori she was a shy fry. And that Cherr, she's still hyperactive as ever, I suppose," he said remembering his past.

"Still and will be," she answered. "Sebastian, this time I come for business."

"Business?" he asked as Charlotte brought over some tea and Lenalee went over to help her. "What kind of bee's wax would that be?"

"I'm with a religious organization called the Black Order," she said straight out.

"I've heard of them lot," he said as Charlotte sat down as he offered her his seat next to Eve. "Destroy Akuma and all. We rarely see those but in the village below. Guess these fellows too are from the Order."

"Yes sir," Allen said politely. "We are."

"Then the bee's wax you talk about is what that man gave us to safekeep," Sebastian concluded.

"Do still have it?" Eve asked hopeful.

"It's locked upstairs in the highest tower," Sebastian informed her. "That thing has brought nothing but trouble since the day it was left here. That place got frozen over since I placed it there. What did he have in mind when leaving that thing in our hands."

"Assuming he knew about this place's safety, I'm pretty sure that's why he left it here," Eve suggested.

"Then let's get that thing and go back home," Lavi said wanting to go back already.

"Oh please," Charlotte said with a warm smile. "At least rest for the night. The trip up here must've tired you children plenty."

"It did somewhat, Miss Charlotte," Lenalee said.

"Please, call me Aunt Lottie," she said chuckling. "And don't worry I love having visits over."

"Thanks, Lottie," Eve said. "I suppose the rooms are still in the same place as before."

"Clean, warm and ready to use," Sebastian said proud. "I'll bring some firewood to both rooms to get them light and warm there. By seven, I'll be having dinner ready so you guide them to the dinning room, alright poppet?"

"Yes..." she trailed off as she stood up. "C'mon guys. I'll take you to your rooms."

"Are we getting rooms the four of us together?" Lavi said in hope.

"You wish," the three answered as they followed her.

"Here they are," Eve said as Lavi jumped right into the softest bed ever and Allen sat on an armchair.

"These are gorgeous~" Lavi muffled on the bed.

"Only Lottie and Sebas have the best on this parts of Snowpeak," Eve explained and slid the balcony's curtain away. "Plus a great view." She saw Lavi had already gotten comfortable with his coat off and snuggling with the pillow. "Oh no," she mumbled getting on the bed and trying to push his heavy self off the bed. "This is Lenalee's and my room."

"Leave me alone," Lavi easily shoving her off the bed.

"You little-"

"Here you go!" Sebastian bursted into the room with firewood tucked under one arm. He placed it well in the fireplace and lit it up. It caught up immediately. "I'll have food ready in two hours okay. Get some rest kiddos."

"Thanks Sebastian-san," Lenalee said as he left.

"They're nice people," Allen said smiling as Timcanpy settle on his lap.

Pheonix came out of Eve's bag and cuddled next to Lavi's head on the pillow. "Traitor," Eve mumbled as she got onto the bed and yawned.

"You're tired too from making such long strides," Lenalee said.

"I'm not tired and it's not my fault I have such short legs," she called laying down on the bed a far from Lavi as she could. "What about you?"

"I'm fine," Lenalee answered. "Allen?"

"Just hungry, I guess," Allen answered. He faced over to Eve, "By the way, what's the item that we're looking for here?"

"According to what I last heard, a piece of a broken mirror," Eve explained. "Never kenw it had caused so many problems since it came here."

"Who was the man that gave it to them?" Lenalee asked.

"The 14th," she answered in a mumble.  
>~<p>

"Should we wake them up?" Lenalee whispered to Allen as he came back in after going to check if dinner was ready.

"They're tired," Allen said as Timcanpy too went beside Pheonix who had moved from his place and into the armchair nearest to the fire. "Let them sleep a bit more. I'll call on Tim once we're done so they can eat."

"Yeah," Lenalee smiled as they left. "You're probably right." As the door closed behind them Pheoniz waited a few seconds before flying away and onto Eve's head.

"Caller. Caller," he repeated in a low tone. Eve sat up as she rubbed her eyes.

"From who?"

"Cardigan Galleon. Will you accept the call?"

"Cardigan? Yeah, whatever," she yawned plunging back on the bed and on the pillow.

"Confirmed," Pheonix called as the voice changed to the message.

"Kid, Kotori woke up." With these words, Eve shot up from bed instantly and wide awake.

"You woke me up," she hissed into Pheonix.

"Not only that," she continued in a serious tone. "It's seems that she's beginning to remember the memories erased by _Grandmother."  
><em>  
>"You're kidding, right?"<p>

"Am I laughing?" she asked sarcastically. "This is serious kid. You know what's going to happen if she cannot reconnect back with her Innocence."

"Yeah, yeah," she answered in thought. She snapped her fingers, "I got it. There's a map in my room."

"Got it," she said.

"You're in my room?" she snapped angry. She sighed her anger away for a minute, "Anyways, there's place labeled 'grove', do you see it?"

"It green right?"

"That one," she confirmed. "Now, I want you to send her there okay? Send her with Cherry, who I'm sure can use her powers by now. And send that Kanda guy too. She'll need protecting."

"Is it somewhere of importannce?" Cardigan asked.

"It's another key," she explained. "Edelle has no idea of it because it's a sacred place. Now let them take Kameron and tell them to search for it."

"What good will this do to Kotori?"

"She'll see what her own importance is and she'll return to demonstrate that to _Grandmother."_

"I see. How are you feeling?"

"Still like crap," she answered standing up and going to change into an more suitable thing to fight. She hated fighting in pants. Shorts were better to move on. "Though I see why Cherry didn't want to come here."

"You percieved the curse too?" Cardigan asked.

"They're not Akuma, but humans who have been possesed by the powers of that key. A dark sorceseror was the one who locked away that key. I'm sure Neah made certain no one but one of us three would be able to touch it," she said turning to see if Lavi was still asleep and changed quickly. "I'm sure they'll unleash soon."

"I'll leave it to you then," Cardigan said hanging up as Pheonix flew to her side.

"Great, huh, Pheonix," Eve said as she put her jacket on. At the sound of moaning she turned and saw Lavi that was tossing and turning. She shook her head with a faint smile as she walked over to him and bend over him. She glanced at him for a second and could've sworn that she'd seen his face. Somewhere before all this. She reached slowly and she softly placed her palm on his cheek. Warmth, she thought. Then she heard a ruckus on the other end of the ruins. She sighed, shook her head, and raised her hand before heaving a slap onto his face waking him up and tossing him off the bed.

"What the heck!" Lavi yelled at her as she manifested Ying and Yang on both hands and lifted her hood on her head, covering her face.

"Get up and get ready," she said gazing to the side at him as another shake of the mansion called his attention. She turned away as she smirked and clicked the satefy off of the twin colts, "We have company."


	13. Chapter 13

"And here I thought they could've not gotten any bigger," Eve joked around as Lavi and her arrived at the foyer of the mansion.

"Eve!" Allen called as he blocked one of the transformed Sebastian's ice wind.

"Lavi!" Lenalee called as she avoided Charlotte's axe.

"T-They grew?" Lavi called surprised.

"They're possesed by that cursed mirror," Eve said shooting at the two ovesized monsters and getting their attention from Allen and Lenalee.

"Lavi?"

"What?" he got his hammer out.

"How fast can you run?"

"What!"

"Follow me!" she called as she went over the foyer stairs and out into the courtyard as the snow covered most of it. She jumped onto a clear space as she changed tactics and turned to Lavi. "Use your hammer to clsoe them off while I get up there."

"Got it," he called. "Big hammer, small hammer. Grow, grow, grow. Fire Stamp: Hellfire and Ash!"

"Great..." she mumbled as she entered the tallest tower through an open window. In there was Sebastian and Charlotte's old bedroom. On the wall it hung, a huge piece of mirror with a broken silver frame and with a strange black aura. "Neah, did you chant this key with Onscurity from Shadowland?" She walked over to it and reached out her hand but suddenly her eyes widened. She jumped back and raised her left hand aiming at the mirror. It suddenly become a liquid as it slid down the wall onto the floor. Then from the liquid a very strange figure began to raise.  
>~<p>

"Waltz: Misty Wind!" Lenalee called as she tried her best to use small and less damaging attacks against the creatures in futile attemtps to stop them.

"It's not possible to stop them without causing serious damage," Allen scorned.

"We can't hurt them, Allen!" Lenalee shouted.

"There's no choice," Lavi said raising his hammer but befre he could attack again the two fainted as a dark mist raised from their bodies and darted over to the tower. Then a great explosion came from the tower's window as they saw Eve jumping down as a black figure darted their ways.

"Watch out!" she yelled as Allen caught the movement of the creature.

"Clown Belt," he ordered as the stems halted the thing in its tracks for a minute. They saw what it was now: a black figure of a human with no arms but instead had scyhte blades and as feet had blades like skates. The creature sliced through Clown Belt before backflipping and digging into the snow. "W-what was that?" he turned as Eve landed swiftly beside them.

"That bastard turned them into its slaves and now that I broke it's charade, it was forced to show itself," Eve explained.

Suddenly a burst of snow and dirt erupted as it rapidly sliced against Lavi's right arm and dug in again. "Ugh," he moaned holding his now bleeding arm. "That freaking thing's fast."

"I can't see it unless it's above ground," Allen said as they all stood backs against eachother glaring to each way possible.

"It's spotted that you could maybe that's why it hid itself underground," Lenalee said looking around.

"Eve, can't you open your battlefield," Allen called as Eve shot ahead onto the ground uncovering the creature before it could attack him. It rapidly headed underground again.

"I'm at it," she called extending her hands throwing Ying and Yang into the air as the particles extended to the large aread of the mansion. "Hurry! I can't use Illuminie this time and it'll only hold for a minute!"

"Got it," Allen called as he could see the creature amongst the snow and ground. "Lenalee!"

"Falling Technique: Iron Shackle!" she called as she landed full force and magnitude upon the ground making the thing dig above ground.

"Lavi!" Lenalee called.

"Fire Stamp: Hellfire and Ash!" he called as the flames engulfed the creature in a culumn of fire. "Allen!"

"Finish it off!" Eve called as the battlefield started to vanished.

"Edge End!" Allen drew his claw upon the creature as it agonized in pain before bursting into small black droplets all around that floated in mid air. Then the battlefield disintegrated and the droplets quickly gathered into Eve's extended hand into the form of a small, broken mirror. She snatched it into her hand as she fell to her knees exhausted.

"Sweetcakes!" Lavi called concerned as he minimized his hammer and ran over to her along with the others.

"I'm fine," she panted as he took a knee before her. "What about them?"

"They're fine," Lenalee said as Allen helped carry them inside. "Just unconscious."

"They must've become possesed when you were eating dinner," she said stumbling to a stand. "We should leave before anything else happens."

"What else could happen?" Lavi said smiling as Allen came back after him and Lenalee took them inside to rest. "We've got the key? What could go wrong?"

"Spoke too soon, boy," at the voice they all turned to see Tykki sitting on one of the broken, high pillars with Road on his back.

"Road! Tykki!" Allen called as he and Lavi stood before Lenalee and Eve protectively.

"Calm down Allen," Road said floating down along with Tykki. "We come just for information."

"Information?" Lenalee called.

"So you've come for me then?" Lavi said with a cockly grin.

"Wrong, Jr." Tykki said as he pointed at Eve. "We want information from Evangelique Synchro."

"As i-"

"What kind of information?" she answered interrupting Lavi and stepping forth towards them.

"Are you serious!" they called confused.

"What's that T signify and why does that freaky bastard of fire have one like yours?" Road asked with a frown and pointed at her bosom.

"Sweetcakes!" "Eve!" "Eve!"

" 'Apart are halves but the two together make the whole. Let the doors open'. That was what was told to us when it was given," she said touching her pendant. "Is he the one? Did Edelle try to him from me?"

"The young boy that's with Edelle is your boy, Adamah," Tykki answered making her flinch.

"Adamah..."Allen repeated remembering that fight.

"Who cares about that guy?" Lavi shouted angry. "He's the enemy! Along with you lot!" He raised his hammer as it grew but a shot to it made it minimize instantly as he stumbled back by the recoil. "Sw-sweetcakes?"

She held her gun still aiming at him, "Don't interfere with this." He turned to the Noahs, "If that is Adamah, then are you here to take me? Did Edelle tell you that Shadowland's Eden would open with the gemini twins?"

"Yes, we know-" Tykki started.

"But we didn't come because of her," Road smirked. "She's starting to become a hateful bitch, excuse my language. And I would so love if you could rain on her parade."

"That's what you want from me?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yep~" Road said smiling.

"We have begun to bore of that child who Road brought in the first place," Tykki explained. "She's resting right now because of the Immortality. It'll take some time but we want her exterminated now."

"What benifit will I have from this?" she asked.

"Our promise that you can meet your dear Adamah again," Road smiled and got close stretching her hand out. "Deal?"

"If I get rid of Edelle for you, you'll let me see Adamah again?" She scoffed and slapped Road's hand away, "I've stopped believing my wishes with him could come true a long time ago. I'll kill them on my own accord; both Edelle and Adamah and I'll stop Eden from opening again."

"The two who are one," Road said smirking and going back with Tykki before they disappeared. "Think very carefully, Evangelique Synchro. If he died, then what would happen to you?"

"Sweetcakes...?" Lavi said slowly as he appraoched her careful about her gun. But she suddenly threw her gun on to the floor along with the mirror shard, fell to her knees and began to weep. "Sweetcakes, what's wrong?" She didn't answer but simply leaned towards the floor as her tears stained the snow.

"Eve, you never answered Lavi's question before," Allen said handling the mirror as he knelt before her making her sit up tear stained face and all. "Who's Adamah?"  
>~<p>

They had gone down Snowpeak and where on their way to the Black Order through train when she began to tell her story.

"Adamah was a close friend of mine alongside with Edelle. We we kids living in Shadowland when the priests took us into Synchronicity's bowls, a place known to them as Eden. They told we were the chosen to guard Eden from outsiders. Eden was a shinning paradies powered by a shinning crystal of red color that laid in that grove," she started. She was sitting next to Lavi while Lenalee sat next to Allen. "We became friends once we entered Eden and were very happy until things started to stumble upons us. Edelle started shunning herself from us and Adamah began to act strange. Before I knew it the calm regime in Eden had changed into a storming chaos. It changed because the three pieces that held it together: Eden's essence, Edelle, Adam's essence, Adamah, and Eve's essence, I, had seperated into three instead of working as one. That's when Edelle took a piece of the crystal and it turned into the Obscurity garnting her powers greater than the ones Adamah and I had."

"Wait, so Obscurity wasn't what it was at it's core?" Allen asked.

She shook her head, "Now I think it must have been some kind of Innocence. It was it that gave me the powers I have and my Immortality along with Adamah and Edelle. Edelle however tainted her Innocence and turned it into an Obscurity. She's not against God, hence why didn't turn into a Fallen One either. She just has a different perspective of things."

"It's not that different from the Earl's," Lavi scorned.

"Believe me, even I believe something different than the Order. I've always thought that we are all right: the Order, the Noahs, the Earl," she confessed.

"How can you think that?" Lenalee asked in disbelief and shock.

"You didn't let me finish," Eve said sullen. "We're all right, it's only that we just happen to disagree."

"Well on any perspective the Earl and the Noahs aren't good news," Lavi scoffed.

"I disagree on the Akuma thing like all of you," Eve said. "But I can't disagree with the Noah." She glanced starring right into Allen's eyes as she said, "I can't disagree with you."

"I understand that," Allen said getting her point as she lowered her gaze. "Keep going with your story."

"When Edelle created the Obscurity part of it became her supporter, Shadow of Abyss, the other stayed trapped in Eden after Shadowland and all of Synchronicity sunk," she said.

"Do you know how it sunk?" Lenalee asked.

"According to what Bookman told me, some idiot," Lavi explained knowing that history from Bookman. "Fought against the Obscurity with Innocence and when they had the chance to destroy the source they got away for some sentimental crap and that's how basically Synchronicity came to oblivion."

"Lavi..." Lenalee and Allen hissed as he turned to a bit gloomy Eve.

"Don't tell me..." Lavi began but Eve kicked him of the seat before he could conitnue.

"Yeah, that idiot was me okay? I've lived for almost two hundred years trying to atone for my mistakes of letting Edelle live that time. If I had killed her maybe nothing of this would be happening right now."

"What do you mean? Because of your 'mistakes' we were able to meet, right?" Lenalee asked trying to comfort her.

"Besides in what you said there's good news," Allen said smiling at her and getting her attention.

"How?" she askd as lavi slowly sat beside her.

"You had the chance to get rid of her which means you still do now. Besides that you didn't kill her doesn't mean that you were weak or stupid, it meant that you did care for her. Didn't you?" Allen said, understanding.

She sniffed a bit and nodded hugging her knees, "Thanks, Allen."

"You're welcome," he said.

"You're tactless Lavi," Lenalee mumbled.

"It's my fault now!" he hissed back.

"It's kind of your fault," Eve answered him. In fear of being kicked off again he stiffened but only felt her head as it slumped on his shoulder. "So just let me rest a little. I'm tired." Allen smiled as he and Lenalee tried going to sleep as well. Lavi only blinked twice in surprise as he glanced the other way while leaning his chin on his palm, his elbow resting on the seat's arm.


	14. Chapter 14

"She wants me to what?"

"Hey don't yell at me," Cardigan said umplugging her ears. "If you want to yell at someone, go yell at her. Besides she's got a point. If you don't go now you'll probably return to being that shy, souless doll from before."

"No!" she cried. "Anything but that! I'll go! I'll go!"

"Good," Vardigan smirked. "Now that we've got that settled, you're gonna go with Yu-kun and Cherry."

" 'Yu-kun'?" Kotori repeated confused.

"Right, you know him as Kanda, his full name is Yu Kanda," Vardigan said surprise she didn't know. "And since Cherry can already use her powers then he'll be protecting you."

"Great, a bodyguard," she pouted.

"A bodyguard that you need," she corrected her. "Won't you just go, no whinning, and see what the hell she was talking about?"

Kotori sighed as she sat on the edge of the bed, "I guess."

"Oh no," the head nurse came about with a deadly aura. "You, young lady, still need some much required rest. Your psyche isn't as it should be."

"But I'm fine," Kotori interjected standing up perfectly.

"You Exorcists think you're immortal or something!" she yelled pushing her down to a seat. "Stay here while I go get your shots."

"S-Shots?" she muttered in fear.

"Ooh, that's right you were asleep those other times," Cardigan said holding her uniform in her hands. "If you don't want to see that needle I suggest you change like lighting, find Yu-kun and Cherry, and dart to that place before the head nurse catches up to you." Kotori had changed after she'd shone her the uniform and was out the doors by 'catches up to you'. She whistled, "She runs fast."

"Ah Kotori!" Cherry called as she was eating.

"Let's go," she shouted as she dragged her by her collar al the way to the Kanda's room. She knocked endlessly until he finally answered his hair down and shirtless.

"Eek!" she pushed her coat over him as she pushed her way in and closed the door behind her. Cherry landed, rolling to a stop, onto the wall a bit dizzy from the drag. "Change, hurry. We gotta go."

"Go where?" he asked taking her coat off him.

"Just hurry before she comes with does-" the two knocks made her hide on the far side of the bed where she couldn't be found. Cherry conscious beside her. Kanda blinked confused as the knocks came again.

"Coming!" he called and open the door partly showing the mad head nurse.

"Is the oldest Rasmusen here by any chance?" she asked holding the syringe high.

"N-No, I haven't seen her," Kanda said a littke freaked by the scene before him.

"That little brat!" she shouted dashing off somewhere else. Cardigan appeared a second later to his view.

"Oh, tell her that the map's in her coat. Take care of her, Yu-kun," she said waving bye.

"Yu-kun?" he hissed pissed off. He smacked the door close as he went over and pulled Kotori up by the back of her blouse's neck. "You were running away from needles?"

"They hurt!" she pouted, tears at the verge. "I hate pain."

He sighed and opened the door as he palced her outside and Cherry followed sleepily, "Go to the gate. I'll meet you there for the next mission."

"T-Thank you, Kanda," Kotori wimpered a smile.

He took in a breath when he called loudly, "Head nurse. I found Rasmusen!" and closed the door after himself not letting her in.

"You asshole! Traitor!" she yelled to the closed door.

"Found you!" the head nurse was coming to her fast and quick.

"No!" that yelp of pain was heard all over the headquarters.

* * *

><p>"Stop with the pouting," Kanda called pissed sitting across from Kotori. They had gotten on the train towards a southern village nearby their destination. Cherry and Kotori where sitting beside each other.<p>

"Screw you," Kotori hissed as she looked out the window.

"Hey, why do you think Nee-san would send you out?" Cherry askd while licking a lollipop she'd bought in the train.

Kotori didn't answer back her eyes simply widened as they went further on through the railroad. She hastiliy picked out the map that her sister had left her and searched for the marked location. At finding it she simply smiled warmly and turned to Cherry. "Cher, do you remember that one grove that Eve took us to?"

Cherry's ears perked like a puppy's as she halted her savoring, "You mean the one where those things pushed me into the water? That grove?"

"Yep," Kotori said cheerfully as she pointed outside, the view of the village in their eyes.

"Holy moly!" Cherry called as she grinned and pointed with her lollipop outside. "We're here!"

"You've been here before?" Kanda asked as Cherry pushed Kotori outside.

"Yeah. I think I know why, besides the key, that she sent us here," Kotori murmured.

Son enough they stopped in the village and Kotori guided Cherry and Kanda into the nearby forest. At the entrance where the gravel changed into uncut grass, Kotori took off her slip on shoes as her barefeet touched the grass. She inhaled deeply as the homey scent of nature went into her lungs, filling them with nostalgia.

"How are we going to go through this thing? Isn't it a maze, the reason why it's called Lost Woods?" Cherry said playing with the stick of her candy in her mouth.

"I can find my way through. This is my natural habitat after all," Kotori said as she guided them through eight tree trunk tunnels, the outcome all seemed the same. Soon they arrived at an area that seemed different. A hallow tree, leafless was standing at a corner near a small puddle that never seemed to dry out. Sitting in the hollow hole of that tree was a little kid with a straw hat that covered his face. His wardrobe was also made of straw. As he lazily sat there he played a trumpet that hat three different bells, two to the side smaller than the one in the middle. The sound that came out of the bells was a screechy but melodic tune. On it's side was a leaf and bark pouch that held many of his earthy things.

"Ah!" Cherry said pointing at the creature who jumped up and placed it's feet on the trunk looking at them. It's eyes were two gold walnuts with black dots that moved and a small beak over it's stitched mouth.

"A scarecrow?" Kanda asked confused at the glaring creature.

"It's a Woods' Kid," Cherry explained. "A lost soul turned into a forest sprite. One of those pushed me down that exact, same puddle the last time we came here!" Her recalling seemed to infuriate her a bit.

"Strangers, geko?" the Kid questioned tilting his head. "You cannot go any further, geko. Humans aren't allowed in Grandmother Earth's Sacred Grove, geko!"

"I am not just any human being," Kotori called serious. "I am one of Grandmother Gaia's disciples. Please let me pass to speak to the Grove's Guardians."

"What, geko?" the Kid stumbled back startled. "O-One of her disciples, geko?" He looked about nervously and cleared his throat as he blew onto his trumpet making autumn leaves come out along with the sound. Out of the canopy trees more less humanoid Woods' Kids fell as they opened a hidden entrance. "There, geko." He jumped down as he ran into the next area as the other Kids disappeared.

"C'mon," Kotori called as they ran after him inside. Inside the Sacred Grove there was no canopy of trees above them letting the sunlight come into the place. There were countless of birds and butterflies. On the back was a flight of low stairs bitten down into ruins not being able to climb above the first five out of the thirty. On the front the walls that were engrossed with vines and tree roots with undecipherable symbols. Standing side to side with a space in between were two stone giants each with a stone lance. The two giants were engraved with symbols, the same kind as on the wall. On the concrete circle was an engraving of a cross intertwined with thorns and a rose behind it.

"Stand back," she warned them as Cherry sat down on the steps. "You should stay back here with Cherry." She had started to take off her coat and skirt, soon she was with nothing else but her tank top and shorts.

"What are you going to do?" Kanda asked her.

"Get my confidence back," she simply said as she stepped onto the concrete circle. She faced straight as she stated, "I am a nature maiden. My given name is Vital, the Willow Maiden. Please answer my call for I have come to your feet."

The symbols on the two giants shone a light blue as so did the ones on the wall. Suddenly the giants jerked out of their confinement as they jumped onto either side of the crest on the concrete circle lowering the lances in front and behind her and both facing her.

"We are the Guardians of the Earth," the one on her left pronounced through the air as the birds and butterflies flew away from the tremor of its voice.

"Willow Maiden Vital, we hear your claim," the one on the right finished.

"What are those things?" Kanda asked confused.

"Guardians of Grandmother Gaia," Cherry hissed, arching like an angry cat. "They're powerful but won't harm an Earth's Child."

"As Guardians of Grandmother Nautre's Sacred Grove, we are deemed to ask thy this question," the right one said.

"What is thy purpose?" the one on the left asked.

"As a Cendillion my purpose in this earth is to enrich it more with the life I live. I must carry out this task with honor and decision," Kotori said in a serious tone.

"What is thy reason?" the right one asked.

"I am a nobody born to enrich this earth on which human kind lives. The creatures of Grandmother Earth must be kept safe in this sacramental land," she answered in a strict voice as before.

"And what is thy answer," the left one said as more of a statement.

"It is to devote my life and prowess to Grandmother Earth's purpse for me. I cannot waver and I cannot choose my way, for it is carved in the depths of this red earth that path which she has chosen for me." But suddenly the blue engravings turned a bright red.

"Wrong!" the two boomed giving out a tremor.

"What? Wrong?" Kotori exclaimed confused and shocked looking at both back and forth. "How! That's been the same answer I've always given!"

"The answer is the same and if it were any other Cendillion it wouldn't have been mistaken. However, at Grandmother Earth's warning, we have seen through you, Willow Maiden. The answer might have been the correct one, however it is the heart with which you have told that answer that was amiss," the right one explained as he went back into his old position.

"Mend your answer to the truth of your being. Only then will we let you observe the true peace of mind you so desire," the left replied as it went back as well.

"Now leave," their voice echoed as the blue symbols faded away into stone. "Or we will be forced to show you the way out."

"Leave?" Kanda said pissed with such gibberish talk. He unsheathed Mugen activating his Innocence, "Not without that damn key."

"No Kanda!" Kotori called. But the Woods' Kid from before appeared between the statues as he blew his trumpet again but this time an askew note came out with the autumn leaves. Suddenly woodem dolls fell from the trees as they picked themselves from the ground and moved aronud as if held by invisible strings.

"Venomous Puppets!" Cherry called getting Kotori's stuff in a haste.

"Oh no," she muttered to herself running towards them and the exit. "Get out! Hurry!"

"No way in hell!" Kanda called as he charged up to the puppets past Kotori.

"Kanda!" she called turning back as he destroyed some of the puppets but didn't notice one taking a knife with a purplish glow out of its elbow and stabbing Kanda on the left side of his ribcage. He flinched as three more threatened to attack but before they could Kotori had landed a kick going clockwise hitting each one away in midair. She landed before him who had now knelt down and picked him up placing his arm over her shoulders. "Cherry, get out. Now!" she commanded as they left, running out of the grove chased down by the Puppets.

~X~

"Ugh," Kanda awoke his eyes in a blur.

"Shh..." a soft whisper was what he heard as he felt a soothing cold on his aching head. He felt softness below him and as his eyes adjusted to the dark atmosphere. A faint gaslight shone upon his vision granting him a view of who was speaking.

"K-Kotori?" he mumbled.

"Don't talk," he could see that she was cleaning his face with a small, wet towel. "You're okay now."

"Where are we?" he asked feeling sick as he tried to seat up but stopped by Kotori.

"Don't move. The more you move, the faster that venom will run in your veins. I took as much as I could and have nuetralized as much with as much herbs as I could find. However I'm afraid that the little that remains could still jeopardize your life," she explained.

"You didn't answer me," he said lowly glancing at the cieling. So he was poisonned. Explained why it felt so heavy to just move.

"We're in a bed and breakfast in the village near the forest. Those Puppets had one of nature's most powerful poisons in their blades. That's why I didn't want neither of you to fight them. Unless your vaccinized against that you cannot withstand much of it," she explained. "Your Mugen is safe too, don't worry. You should eat something or at least drink some tea. You've been having cold sweat all day, side effects of the poison."

She helped him sit up against the bedpost as slowly as she could and passed him a glass herbal tea. He drank all of it, filled with thirst. "Thanks," he said.

"You feeling alright?" she asked from her sit beside the bed.

"Sick to my stomach but yes, alright," he answered holding his head. He turned to glanced around. They were in a small room. Cherry was sitting down and had fallen asleep. A small desk help various herbs that had been smashed into some brownish substance.

She heaved a sigh in relief, "That's just the herbs. It should go away soon. By the way, your hair tie tore while we escaped from the grove." She took her red ribbong off as she folded it neatly on the bedside cabinet. "You can use my ribbon but I want it back."

"How long have I slept?" he asked feeling the subject of her ribbong a bit awkward.

"Almost twelve hours," she answered. "It's almost midnight." She shook her head and pushed him down to lay on the bed, "Rest for now. I'm still worried about what's left in your system." She stood up and covered him up with the sheets.

That's when he noticed that his coat had been taken off. "Did you take my co-"

"Go to sleep," she hissed as she went out of the room shutting the door behind herself. He simply stared at the cieling with the gleam of the gaslight. This care and empathy, he'd felt it before. His eyes felt heavy. The herbal tea, he thought as he drifted into his sleep.

Behind that door there stood Kotori crying silent tears. She had fallen asleep all the while before he awoke. She had a dream. No, she thought to herself shaking her head, those weren't part of a dream. They were my past. She sped off into the dinning room to eat and get it all out of her mind.


	15. Chapter 15

It had been a month since Kotori joined Alma and Yu in the Asian Branch. Zu kept his word and had not told the Black Order about the girl. She had been happy that whole month with them. And strangely to her, she felt more comfortable with them than with the administrators of the Asian Branch.

She was with Twi one night while she brushed her hair, "Miss Chang, may I ask you something?"

"Go ahead," she said smiling as she kept on brushing her long hair.

"When I'm with Yu and Alma I fell kinda funny," she said playing with her fingers. "My chest starts hurting a lot only when I'm with them but I still want to be with them. I'm happy with them. What is it? Am I sick?"

Twi chuckled melodiously stopping briefly and then put the brush aside. "Well, child. That could be described as many things but something I'm sure it's that you like those two troublemakers."

"Like?" she repeated confused by the term.

"You enjoy being with them, don't you?" Twi asked getting a nod from her. "Then you like them very much."

"Isn't there something more than like? This feels more than just enjoying time with them," she said clutching her chest.

"Well, there is love," Twi said talking a bit to herself.

"Love?"

"It's more than just liking. You see Edgar and I more than like eachother. We love eachother, which is why we decided to live together forever and afterwards Bak came around," she explained as simply as she could to the little girl.

"Bak-san is the product of your love?" Kotori summerized it in her own words.

"You can say that."

"Because you wanted to be together forever with Professor Edgar, right?" she wanted to be clear.

"Yes," Twi answered picking her up and carrying her to her room. It was wonderful for her to care for a little girl since she'd only had Bak. "Now to sleep."

That had been the word that changed everything. A morning that Alma and Yu went to visit their 'siblings' Kotori accompanied them. And she told them about what Twi had told her.

"Love?" Alma repeated confused.

"Yeah," Kotori said amazed. "And you know what, I love you two very much!" she said standing up and bracing the air. "I want to always be together with you guys. Forever!"

"S-Sure," Yu answered a bit shy about it.

Alma turned to him sullen about his answer but with no idea why. He simply faked a smile and nodded at Kotori, "Yeah!"

She giggled, "By the way are these your brothers and sis-" Her sentence was cut off by a violent streak of coughs that invaded her lungs. Then suddenly she had began coughing out blood. Black blood.

"Kotori!" both called concerned.

It had all happened a few days before _that. _Before Yu began seeing those illusions and he was scheduled for termination. Kotori was well after he disappeared and Alma was jailed in his room with chains.

"Why?" she whispered takling to nothing in the empty room that they'd given her. "I don't want to be here. They're doing something to Yu and Alma. Why can't I do anything about it? Why am I so helpless?" In front of her a little green light flashed before her eyes as she saw the form of a little girl, her own shadow a green color, appear before her. She began running around and pushed its hand on the airduct. Vines escaped the palms of her shadow as they destroyed the vent as they it went in wanting Kotori to follow her. Kotori followed her knowing who it was. Grandmother, she thought as she exited the duct and ran following the shadow that stuck to the wall. Please, help me find Alma and Yu. Let me see them so I can start to love them by trying to protect them.

"Grandmother," Kotori panted as she stopped in her tracks. "Why can't I fight light Yu or Alma? I want to fight. Can you help me?" The shadow stopped to give a glance at Kotori.

_"Call to me with the voice of your heart's nature and I will answer," _she replied to her plea as she urged her to continue following her.

As she turned the corner she began seeing people running towards a deeper chamber. At Grandmother's advice, Kotori hid from them attempting to not be seen. "Where are they all going?" Kotori followed even further in and found herself in the basement. At that moment her hands and chest began feeling warmer and warmer. "I've felt this before. When I came in this place something activated my powers with you. Are there more of those powers in this place too?"  
><em><br>"That is our destination. You shall see the truth there," _was all that Grandmother said as she turned two corners and found herself in a hallway she recognized. It was the path they usually took to that shrine.

The moment she turned to the doorway of that room her eyes widened in fear and shock, her jaw falling open from the same emotions to what she saw.

And the only words that escaped her opened mouth where, "Al...ma..." Blood. Blood was spattered everywhere, where the bodies of the murdered laid. People whom she'd known, who had taken care of her, who she'd come to love like a family. Now, they were all dead. And the one who had done it was there standing. All was clear to her; plain as day. "Why...?"

Alma turned to her for the first time actually hearing her voice. He turned to her, his new Innocence being activated and holding Edgar's dead body in its clutches. At meeting her eyes he simply gave her another caring smile as if it were any other careless day. But to her that smile wasn't like all the others, to her it had some kind of coldness and soulessness she had never seen before in him. This wasn't how Alma was, not the one she knew and cared for.

"Why?" she repeated in a shout standing her ground and getting out of her shock. "Why did you kill them Alma!"

"Why...you ask?" he asked calmly. His smile changed to a frown as his glance turned to a galre towards her. "It was because of what you stirred in me!"

"Me...?" she mumbled confused.

"If you would've kept your mouth shut about loving Yu and me, perheps they wouldn't have to kill him! No, not only you but them too. They put us in this mess. I hate them. And," he shook Edgar's body out of the scythe blade, "I hate you most of all!"

Everthing happened in a blur to her eyes. He had disappeared from her sight and before she knew it unbelievable pain expanded from her abdomen to all of her body. And then she screamed. Alma, she thought as blood flooded from the gash in her stomach and from her mouth, how could you?

The dash he made for her created a dust cloud then she heard his voice call back with the same gentleness, "Yu! You're safe!"

"Al...!" Yu's voice came into the room in a joyous tone but changed in the end to shock.

Ignoring Yu's tone and surprise Alma continued, "Who's the big guy behind you?" Yu then noticed as the cloud cleared that in front of his feet was Edgar's dead body while he held Kotori in the blades, the poor thing still alive trying to get out.

"Ko...tori..." Yu mumbled under his breath.

"I'm glad I got to see you Yu," Alma said as tears filled his eyes. "But I've got to kill you now."

No, Kotori thought. Don't kill Yu. I won't let you, Alma. Even if-"...flo..." Kotori tried pronouncing as she let slip more blood from her mouth. "Earth Flower!" she managed to shout as from the ground below Alma's feet an average spiked flower bloomed. Alma, however, jumped out of its way while throwing Kotori off against the wall as she fell to the floor. She saw as the blur that was Alma attacked Yu and the man on his back as they fell down through stairs. She stood up painfully but could feel her wound closing, healing itself. I can't die, Kotori said tears falling from her eyes as she followed down for Alma and Yu. "Help me, Gaia!" she called as her hands shone with the same green light as before.

She got there just as Alma had cut off Yu's left arm and Yu was there unguarded. "Earthern Shield!" she pronounced the chant as her hands glittered that green light. Alma easily destroyed the gravel wall that was formed with those weak powers left in her life. He turned back to her as she panted drenched in blood that was beginning to turn black on her white sumer dress.

"Your became a burden the moment I heard those words slip from your mouth," Alma called as he swayed her blades at her. Lifting her hands to her face she'd summoned the same shield on her but as weak as before. Alma broke through it as he hit Kotori against the wall again. "Why don't you just die already?"

"I-" she coughed out blood. Black, why? She clenched her jaw as she stood back up feeling the pain of her healing wounds, "I can't die." Her hands shone even more green, now turning an emerald color. "I have to fight and protect Yu from Alma. But what did I do for you to hate me this much?"

"You said them!" Alma yelled impalling her to the stone wall as he pressed on further and further. "Those words! The ones that I-"

"Stop!" Yu shouted, his Innocence already activated, and shoved Alma off her as she fell back to the floor. Yu was tired but Alma stood back up. He told Yu everything about the ones he had waited so long to see awaken but they never did. Yu then knew what was wrong.

"You don't mean..." Yu said shocked. "You're old memories."

Alma doesn't want to be alive, Kotori thought her voice unable to come out as she stared blankly. Had she lost too much blood already? If she died now, she couldn't wait seven days! She had to stay alive until everything was over. She sat her upper body up; only then could she die in peace and come back with relief. She stood up, Yu was with Alma who'd tried harming himself unable to as his body regenerated. "He's immortal too...?" Kotori mumbled to herself as she stood there trying to make since of her blurry vision. And then Alma attacked the man that Yu brought with him. Another blur of voices came to her ears. Then she barely saw Yu stabbing Alma with his Innocence and then Alma did the unthinkable. He attacked Yu and left him to bleed.

**"No!" **Kotori yelled as the light in her hands burst into broken particles. Then she felt her whole body jerk as she lost her breath and felt her heartbeat halt. She'd reached her extremes, that's why her powers broke on her and stpped functioning. She'd reached her limit. She fell to the ground face down. Her body started to feel weak as if it were dampened wool. But she could see more clearly now. Yu was laying across from her, he look as if he weren't far from the grasp of her tiny hands. She reached out with her hand. She didn't want to leave yet. She wanted to protect him, the only sane and important person to her. She knew why she'd gotten so close to Yu more than Alma. It was like Twi explained to her, it was like Twi and Edgar the way, she realized, how she felt about Yu. She didn't want to lose something so important to her, not when she never had anything like that before. Not when she'd never felt something like this 'love' before.

But her hand never reached her beloved. Her sight darkened on her as shields covered her way, seeing only as Yu attacked Alma as her last view. Grandmother had gone through her way to protect her host. No, she thought in the midst of the darkness that surrounded her. Please give me a little more time, Grandmother.

Just...a little...more


	16. Chapter 16

"Ah!" Kanda awoke abruptly to the dark night. He heard as it poured loudly outside. He'd gotten cold sweat in his sleep but on the good side he didn't feel as sick as he did before. He sat there thinking of what he'd dreamnt just a few seconds ago. "But..." was that a dream or...his memories? He glanced around found Cherry still asleep but no signs of Kotori. Then he saw from the corner of his eye something upon the nightstand. The red ribbon and there sleeping on it was Kameron.

~X~

"Why are you crying, geko?" the Woods' Kid from that morning was in front of Kotori as she wept holding her knees to her face. She was sitting on the steps of the Grove from before.

"I-" she hiccuped. "I saw something I wished I've never remembered!" She cried ever harder. She knew now why Kanda seemed so familiar. He was the same boy she met nine years ago. The one she failed to protect and instead saw fight alone the one friend he had, that they both had. "Why! Why did Grandmother make me forget!"

"Cendellions aren't suppose to have memories of their past, geko," the Kid said trying to make her better but not noticing that he was doing more harm. "They must leave their friends, family, and loved ones behind to become one with nature. Could that be why you're heart changed, geko?"

"I don't care anymore," Kotori sobbed controlling her crying. She hid her face, "I'm glad I can die now. I want to die and forget everything...forever and permenantly."

"You know I'll stop you if you try doing so again," surprsied and shocked she glanced up to see Kanda walking towards her. He had his uniform on with his coat put on sloppily and his hair tied lowly with the red ribbon. Kameron floated at his side.

"You're still alive, geko?" Kid said surprised as she went away into the safety of a tree branch.

"Why are you up?" she deflected the topic as she stood up and wipped her tears away. "You should be resting."

"There's no more poison on my system," Kanda answered looking straight at her but she constantly glanced elsewhere. Sighing he finally said, "Why don't you look at me?"

"I'm tired of your face," she said bluntly starting to walk away but he held her back by her wrist. "Let go," she hissed trying to let her wrist free from his strong grip. However he only pulled her so that she had to face him. She only averted her eyes. She couldn't face him with the ruthlessness from before, not now that she knew what he was to her.

"You too..." he said letting go slowly.

Getting her curiosity she finally glanced up confused, "Me too what?"

"That little girl," he began straight forth. "The one who Alma and I met-" at the mention of Alma's and his name together made her understand immediately as her eyes widened. "You where her, weren't you? Kotori..."

She lowered her head wanting to cry again until she finally said in a soft but audible whisper, "Yes..." When he scoffed in anger she retorted back quickly, "B-But I didn't know about it until tonight! Grandmother made me forget about it all because-!" she shut her mouth there with her mouth. She couldnt. She coudln't tell him that Grandmother had erased those memories to make her forget about her love for Yu.

"Because what?" he asked angered. "When everything ended I never found you. You were gone. I thought that for sure that time you had died. That's why I attacked Alma. I thought he'd killed you!"

She gasped but only stood still. She shook her head vigorously as she replied, "No! It was because I-" she coudln't let those three words escape past her throat. Alma had been right that time, if she kept her mouth shut things would've been easier. But now it was hard to keep quiet, now that her chest felt like exploding to say those words to him, to Yu. "Because I..." she lowered her head. "I can't bring myself to tell you. But I didn't die. Seven days later I awoke and found myself in the care of Evangelique. She told me that part of the Asian Branch had been destroyed. Alma was in shambels and you were nowhere to be found. Everyone had died and in order for me to become a Cendellion I had to forget. The thing was..." she glanced up with true sadness in her glassy pinkish eyes. "I didn't want for my heart to hurt anymore. For me to forget...was better than to live the rest of my endless life knowing I've left the most important person live with such pain."

"You were concerned for youserlf, geko," Kid came down from his place as he stood in front of the two. "Humans are that way. Selfish, unconcedirated."

"You're wrong," she exclaimed. "I just couldn't let myself be the cause of why Alma attacked Yu. I didn't want for you to carry that burden either," she had turned to Kanda now. "If I forgot, it'd vanish with my last memory. I would be able to forgot the pressure on my chest. The feeling I didn't know how to explain back then." She shook her head, "I'm a hypocrite! I shouldn't say this! It was because of what I felt that Alma finally decided to act. I can't let them escape my mouth again. I can't open it and say them!"

"Just do it!" Kanda called shaking her by the shoulders making her face him with a face stained with tears and raindrops. "Tell me, what was it that brought Alma to hate you so much that he'd want to kill you!"

"I loved you!" she yelled in response as suddenly thunder clapped in the air making her see his shocked expression clearly. She cried out in realization of how dangerous her feelings had turned out to be and yelled them out again. "He hated me because I loved you!" She couldn't keep it in anymore, she simply shouted it out. She begin punching him again like usual as she cried out, "And because I met you again I've fallen in love again!" I thought I could just forget and it'll be alright! But now! Now-!"

"I..." Kanda couldn't respond to this. He'd known her for a long time since then and had never met her before until now. "I..." he mumbled knowing not what to say in response.

"Dreadful rose of sin~ You wilt in death alone~" the Kid chanted cackling as she turned to him.

"I didn't-" she rose defensively.

"You shine in scarlet~ Knowing you're already dead~" the Kid continued. "You're the Lady of Sin! Lady of Sin, geko!"

"I'm not!" she yelled now in anger. "I did my best to follow Grandmother Gaia's rules but now-"

"You're in love. Only humans fall in love, geko!" Kid called waving his trumpet around. "You don't deserve to be called Grandmother's disciple, geko! That's why the Guardians declined your answer, geko! You won't ever get Grandmother Gaia back as your Innocence, geko!" he blew his trumpet thrice as three dozens of Puppets appeared falling, rising, and appraoching them.

Kanda drew out Mugen as he pushed Kotori behind him. "You can't fight them all!" she called over the clapping thunder.

"Says who?" he reproached as he went after the Puppets. Kotori felt helpless again, she was powerless when needed most.

She shook her wet head and ran over to the symbol below the Guardians. "Please listen to me!" she was yelling over the thunder as she heard the classh of Kanda's Mugen and the Puppets' blades. "I don't want to end my link with Gaia! Just because I live as a human I still wish to serve my given purpose! I was chosen as a Synchro! I used to live in a fantasy where I blinded myself from my own life! I want to stop with these lies! I want to see reality again! Please!" She heard Kanda began to struggle, he hadn't rest enough. She clenched her teeth, "I'll loose this feeling of being so helpless! I have my whole life ahead of me! I'll face these demons of mine and I'll win!" She felt something powerful that pressured her to say all this. She knew it was the right thing to say, **"Come on, you dumbass stones, one more try!" **

Then the blue energy disclosed its power about in waves so powerful it broke the Puppets to pieces unabling them to fight any further. Not only that but had dessipated the thunder and clouds as the rain slowly stopped. Kanda turned to see what Kotori was seeing. The Guardians had awaken at her call and had stretched out their lances.

"We have heard your new answer, Blessing of the Earth," the right one said.

"And it is the correct answer," the left one finished.

"What?" she mumbled confused.

"It was what Grandmother Earth wanted to hear," the right one answered retracting his lance.

"Not what you were trained to be but who you turned out to be," the left one said retracting his.

"We have proven your loyalty to Grandmother Gaia," the two said as the ground shook before calming down just as she heard a _clank _on the gravel to her right. They'd made the Woods' Kid fall from his place right on his face. At hitting the ground he let go of his three bell trumpet that landed a few feet away from her. "Now go forth and accept the key as our loyalty to you. The only one of Gaia's daughters to live her life freely and walk her path. Now go forth and answer Grandmother Gaia's question to her. We bid you good luck and farewell, to both of you."

"I...can't believe it," Kotori said smiling as the water dripped from her wet hair. Suddenly the reflection of light from the trumpet hurt her eyes. She looked up and hid her eyes from the strong rays of the sun.

"It became morning while it rained that we didn't notice," Kanda explained coming to stand beside her.

"Yeah," she smiled glancing up. She looked over to the floor and knelt there with it on her hands as she glanced over to the Woods' Kid, "Here."

"What are you doing?" Kanda asked confused.

"It's yours right?" she said reaching it out to him.

The Woods' Kid scoffed as he stood up. He jumped up and disappeared in a flush of autumn leaves. His voice resounded all over the place as the wind blew, blowing leaves off the trees. Kotori held her hair as she listened, "Keep it,geko. It was getting kinda boring anyways. Bye Vital-chain and good luck, geko!"

"You knew he wouldn't take it," Kanda understood as she stood with the trumpet in her hands.

"Should we go now?" she asked as she walked ahead of him. He caught up to her quickly. Weird, he thought. She looks...glad?

"What's with you?" he asked a bit startled.

"What do you mean?" she asked back not turning around but sounding happy.

"You're all..." he would regret saying the word, "Jolly?"

"Can't I be?" she asked again as she glanced back not meeting his eyes. "After all, I'm pretty sure how to answer Gaia's question better now. She's gonna shoot me with everything she's got and I'm ready for it."

"You're going to get your Innocence back," he said not really as a question but she answered either ways.

"Yeah," she replied. She abruptly turned looking him directly at his eyes. "Plus since I've got Yu back I can't possibly fall back and let you beat me, right?"

"Don't call me that," he said a little pissed going back to his old self.

"Yu~" she teased as she went up ahead.

"Fine, but not in front of people," he called getting more pissed.

"Make me~" she said walking backwards and sticking her tongue out.

"Now I remember that I hated you, you little brat," he called trying to restrain his fist from attacking her.

"Hate you too~" she joked as she sped off the hill.

* * *

><p>"How's it going, Master?" Babaa asked as her and Mousy say cross legged in front of the couch that Edelle was sitting on. She was there while Loki laid his head upon her lap and she worked on rewiring his mind.<p>

"Good. Have all of their memories been restored yet?" she asked calmly but with a grin.

"There's one left," Boo answered her.

"Allen...Walker," Mousy said lethargically.

"Ah yes, the boy who's to be the 14th, isn't it?" she said softly threading strings across Loki's mind. "He will soon enough. I have rearranged Loki's or should I say Azule's memories. He will know his past as a normal human living in Shadowland, capitol of Synchronicity as the peasant boy Azule. Then being chosen to be the personification of Adam in Eden, as Adamah. And now my personal servant Loki. Then I will rid him of those memories as Azule, the useless facade that Neah created for him. I have already ridded myself of the facade he created, that stupid Sera charade. Now when the next 14th remembers his involvement with Evangelique, she will resurface again as her true self leaving the facade of Eve behind and most likely kill her."

"Facades?" Road asked coming into the room.

"Yep," Edelle answered. "Neah created them in order to hide our powers. Oh but what am I saying," she mocked Road who for the first time to her grimmace. "You were there when he did it after all." Road left that room immediately after and went to Tyki.

"Tyki, kill her already~" she whinned clinging to Tyki's neck from behind.

"I can't Road," he said as he tried to continue reading his book. "I talked about it with the Earl. He prohibited us from touching the plans that Edelle had in store."

"Dammit!" she pouted letting go.

"Why do you want to get rid of her so fast though?" Tyki asked genuinely curious.

"I hate her," Road said bluntly and Tyki knew she was saying the truth. "Her stupid infatuation with killing the 14th and now Allen Walker too. If she touches him-" a darker shadow gre behind her. "I'll kill her myself. No matter what the Millenium Earl said."


	17. Chapter 17

"Whew!" the child Allen wipped the sweat off his forehead.

"Nice work Allen," Mana complimented as both got off stage.

"Nice trick I did there, huh?" Allen asked proud of himself. "Made it all by myself."

"That's spectacular," Mana complimented again to his son. Then they heard clapping that at turning revealed to be a young lady in her twenties. Her hair, Allen thought, was a coal black and her eyes a scarlet red. She wore, however, white clothing almost as white as the snow that was beneath their feet.

"It was spectacular. Indeed a well-thought performance, young pierrot," she agreed with Mana's words.

"Oh, well thank you Miss," Mana said with a smile.

"Yeah," Allen said forcing it the thankful thought out.

She giggled a bit as she glanced down at Allen for a bit, "You are very polite. I can assure you, there's no need for you to hide your obtinity wth me young pierrot. After all I can foresee many things, one of which implies your dark yet powerful future."

"My future?" Allen mumbled intrigued by her words. However before Allen could inquire anything else from the woman, mana stood with a protective arm before Allen, and his voice changed from the usual that Allen knew. It wasn't joyful anf happy, it suddenly turned dark and threatful.

"Is your name by any chance Abyss?" Mana asked trying to keep his usual selk with his son.

"Yes," the woman answered. "My name Barathrum can be translated to that. I pressume that _that man_ told you about me. I had began to wonder why you became so protective of the young pierrot."

"Leave," Mana commanded strong and holding his stance.

"Fine, Mana Walker," she said. How did she know him, Allen asked himself turning from Mana to the woman, Barathrum. She turned to leave but tilted her head to face them both as she smirk a dark grin that made even Allen flinch. "Young pierrot, I hope to see you accomplish that dark future I saw. If not, you will turn out to be such a waste."

* * *

><p>"...Huh?" Allen awoke confused by his dream. He wasn't startled for he didn't get what he had seen. A dream...or something else. He glanced around, he was in his room. Of course, he thought, they had, after all, arrived to headquarters a few hours back. "Barathrum. That's-" but Tim's moving around broke his train of thought. "No, I think I remember meeting a woman like that. Black hair and...red eyes." That sounds, he was drifting back to sleep...Eve?<p>

~X~

"Welcome back," Eve called not lifting her head from her studying as Kotori came into her room.

"How'd you know-" Kotori called closing the door behind her.

"It's easy since I heard the flapping," Eve pointed her pen at Kameron who floated away from Kotori and towards Cardigan's room. Kotori then took the whole aspect of Eve's room now. It was full with books all opened and Eve taking notes on a single piece of paper and her sitting cross legged on her bed. "How'd the mission go?"

"Got it," she said passing the trumpet to Eve who caught. "And I'm planning to go to Grandmother now. Want to join me?"

Surprisingly, Eve stopped her writting and glanced up at Kotori. "You're asking me?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Kotori asked confused.

"I thought you'd ask Kanda for company," she answered shrugging and going back to her studies. "After all, I'm positive those memories restrained by Grandmother have been unleashed."

"He offered to watch," Kotori explained playing with a strand of her hair. "But I told him to go rest. He needed it after all."

"Ok, Romeo went to sleep. Why not ask someone else?" she said turning the pages of the countless books as she read them all at once.

"Who else but you would be awake at three in the morning?" Kotori scoffed.

Eve halted, sighed, and placed her work aside, "Touche. Let's go then." Not a five minutes later they arrived to the lowest part of the training grounds. There stood the chest still covered. "Ready, kid?"

"Very," Kotori answered as she stepped forth. Out of thin air, the same illusions from before appeared before her.

_"You're back~!" _the girl chimmed happy. But soon her expression sullened seeing Kotori's serious face. So it changed it's tactics and broke pieces of its body off that stabbed the floor sharp as broken glass. _"I'm useless. I don't want to live anymore. Everyone hates me. My parents hate me, they didn't give me a name. I couldn't protect the ones I loved. I'm powerless. If they hate me that much-" _she grabbed one of the shards from the gronud and aimed at her thraot. _"Then I should just die!" _

The loud _crack _resounded throughout the empty grounds. Kotori had slapped the girl making her drop the shard as it slid off dissipating to green ashes. The smooth gem-like skin of the illusion cracked showing off a white color below. The girl turned to face Kotori but was ambushed by the sudden embrace from her.

"Stupid," she whispered to the girl- to herself. "You're weak only because you thought so. Not now. Not ever again. I don't deserve to die. Not because of the love that my parents didn't have for me. Not because I couldn't protect my two and only friends. I deserve to live...because it's my life that I'll be living. From now on." Kotori embraced her harder. "I promise."

The illusion still shocked simply smiled as it cried and embraced her back. The gem skin then began to fall apart showing more white underneath until it completely disappeared and showed the full color and extent of a grown woman arched on her back with a staff upholding her. She waved it over to the chest as it shone and disappeared leaving behind a small black cube that came to her. Kotori standing up held her palms cupped together up as the cube landed there smoothly.

_"That is your answer, child. You have my respect. I will grant you power for this mark of bravery you have demonstrated to me." _The cube then suddenly liquified as the figure began shivering. _"Drink me." _Kotori did as she commanded and drank the liquid left by the core of her Innocence. Then a purging heat potruded her chest as the mark of her Innocence appeared carving itself on her body. Then from the scar the stigmata appeared drawing out her blood as it formed a more relique form of the Sage Staff. A pointed lance at it's end formed and the wood had changed. A black oak and finely sand to form a crescent moon as the head as from the top fell two keychains with a crytal, pink lotus flower and a dark, pink rose.

"Congrats, Kotori," Eve said smiling. "You have gotten to form Grandmother as a Crystalline-Type Innocence."

"I'm worthy now," she agreed as the newly formed staff went back to her body as her blood. "I'm glad."

"The youngest and a prodigy too," Eve admitted. "Proud of you kid."

"Thanks," Kotori answered. They began going back, Eve having offered to walk her to her room. "I'll be informing Komui of what happened tonight tomorrow morning."

"Let me," Eve offered. "After all," she stopped opening the door to Kotori's room. "I have something to deal with all of them that I need to discuss."

"Oh, alright then," Kotori said going inside. "Goodnight."

"Night," Eve answered as she closed the door behind her. Eve then walked the corridors of the places not really wanting to go to her room. She glanced around trying to see if anyone was awake as she headed down to those same grounds she'd been to just a few moments ago. She stood in the middle and then raised her left hand to shoulder height. She focused as she summoned Illuminie, _Mother_'s essence itself, as a crackled of black sparks began uniting in her hand harming her. The white sphere that was signal Illuminie's appearance came to be but the black sparks became electricity as they shocked her hand and dissipated the sphere. "Why?" she thought. "Why doesn't _Mother _answer me anymore?"

~X~

The next morning Eve sat before Komui after explaining everything with Kotori's new Crystal-Type Innocence.

"So Kotori's at that stage," Komui concluded.

"She now appreciates her life a lot more than she used to. It's good for the time being. Besides you putting her in charge of the botanical garden in this place was actually a good idea," she added. "Cherry isn't far from uniting with _Father _that way as well."

"And where does that leave you?" Komui asked.

Eve sighed, "With no other option but to come to you." Her expression suddenly turned dead serious. "Prepare me for the surgery."

"You're decided to try that method," Komui noted to himself. "Are your powers weakening at such speed?"

Eve looked at her left hand as she clenched a fist, "I'm unable to call _Mother _like I used to. If this goes on, I'll end up not being able to summon my Innocence at all. I want you to force _Son _out of me."

"Are you sure?" Komui asked trying to be absolutely positive.

She sat glancing to the floor and thinking out loud, "I need to use both powers. There's one key left. Fortunately we have one out of the four making it impossible for them to open Synchronicity's doors without it." She looked up at Komui with pearcing eyes, "It's not that I need that power. I just don't want to be left behind by those two and soon be unable to fight alongside with them. Can you grant me that one request?"

Komui thought for a moment then nodded, "I'll have everything prepared in two weeks time. For the time being rest and let your sisters rest. The other Exorcists have less work since the number of Akuma suddenly dropped drastically."

"The Earl, he's planning something," Eve concluded. "And whatever it is, it can't be good."

"Go rest. Kotori's probably at the garden doing her duty with all those plants," Komui said with a warm smile. "Why not visit her while you're at it?"

"Nah," Eve scoffed. "She has 'Prince Charming' who's been with her like a lost puppy since yesterday."

"Who?" Komui asked a little confused.

"Yu Kanda," Eve pronounced grinning. "Seems those two have a sort of 'thing' since long ago. I'm not going to weed their garden. That's for them to do. They have a lot to talk about, that's not my place to be."

"The last key," Komui said as he overlooked the maps. "You said that it would be in Paris."

"I cannot go in this state," Eve assured him.

"Then how about sending two bodyguards like we did for Kotori?" Komui suggested.

"Who?" Eve asked him this time.

"Allen and Lavi," Komui said smiling.

"Not Lavi," Eve said instantly. "I made a promise to Bookman that I'd stay away from him. This last mission I completely ignored my word and I do not want a misunderstanding from Bookman to surface to you because of my incompetence."

"Don't worry," Komui said making her glance at him surprised. "It is a mission. Whatever happens there is just that to Bookman. He is concerned only about what happens here while you are in headquarters, wouldn't that fit the loopholes of your word?"

"You're the worst, Lee," Eve grinned a little weak smile only getting one from him.

"Now go rest for now," he said. "You'll leave with Allen and Lavi to Paris and getting the fourth key."

"Yes sir," Eve said as she exited the room. She turned to corner and continued walking as she soon found herself at the dinning hall. There seated and enjoying a fine time were all of them. She smiled as she overlooked them from the corner of the archway. She had taken become fond with them. With people who believed in the infinite possiblities. In the infinite promises of this world. She took a step forth towards them as they began calling her name in a welcome. And to be frank, she too now believed that if it were them, then that possiblity of an 'always' did exists. Even when those memories of 'someone else', unknown to her, were warning her a dreaful future.

* * *

><p><em>"Blue, hurry!" a little girl with pretty, long hair and a faceless image ran about in the dark memory.<em>

_"Wait! Fairy!" another boy with black hair, faceless as well, ran giggling after the slightly younger girl._

_Both of them were playing about their homes, a place situated in the borders of Shadowland. The girl seeing nothing in her path bumped into something staggering back. Glancing up she saw a man that made her sense fear and an immense killing intent that lingered. The boy stopped close beside her as the man grinned._

_"Hello there," he said as he glanced down at them. Dark wavish hair slicked back. Skin darker than theirs with cross marks on his forehead. His clothes, like that of a rich man much alike their families who were dukes from the palace, were those of a perfomer, a pianist for he too wore white, pianist gloves. He was resting his right hand upon a black and gold cane. "So you two must be-" he lifted the came pointing at the boy first. "Mister Azule Devorah and-" it moved to aim at the girl. "The prodigy of the Archthorn Family, Miss Evelyn Archthorn, right~?"_

"Who asks?" the girl- Evelyn -asked abruptly and impolitely as she took a step forth.

_The man bowed lightly before coming back up, "My name is Neah. Neah Walker and I have come to propose both of you with a deal."_

_"A deal?" the boy- Azule -asked trying to stop Evelyn from starting a fight._

_"Yes, you see two princesses and a prince from Shadowland are in the need for personal assistants who aren't of low statuses. Seeing as you two come from wealthy and respectable families it would be just perfect," the man- Neah - proposeed to them._

_"What makes you think we will accept?" Evelyn inquired._

_"Well, your friend, Sera, has already agreed to be Miss Edelle's assistant. How about you? Would you, Evelyn and Azule, like to become the assistants of Evangelique and Adamah Synchro?"_

"Princess Evangelique?" Evelyn repeated with awe in her voice.

_"His Majesty, Prince Adamah?" Azule muttered, too, in awe._

_"Well..." he stretched ou his hand to them. "Would you?"_


	18. Update

**Update time you guys. And not the good kind :(**

**Sad news guys, I'm discontinuing some stories again and this is one of them. And I'm sad to say that this is one of them. I'm using the saying thing for all of them. I either ran out of ideas or am out of interest for the story.**

**There are some good news though. Some people have started to ask if they can continue my stories and I have, after some chat, let them adopt them. So if anybody is interested in continuing any of the discontinued stories you're welcome to ask me and I'll see what happens, which will probably be a yes.**

**Some will hate me cause many people read the stories and actually liked them. But I'm out of inspiration for these and truthfully I'm looking forward to beginning new and perhaps even better ideas in the future.**

**Overall, I hope you can understand my reasons behind this action. I've never liked to do this. Not even the first time I did it. Some of the stories will be erased but that will be probably a week from now and the stories that will be erased will probably be the ones with one chapter.**

**Thank you for everything on this story and hope you can understand. I truly hope that you can keep reading my other stories or the ones to come. If any of you have any questions or concerns you're welcome to PM me. :)**

**-Sincerely and with all my thanks for the endless amount of support,**

**XKey of the AbyssX**


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